■HHBHHHHHHHnMHHHHHraHHHi^HHHnHH 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

GIFT  OF 

Class 

/ 

^ 

R^BMHaHBKS^^UHBHBHn^U^BaHBUBBaHHB^H 


jfoob  for 
plants 


HARRIS 


NEW      EDITION      WITH 
SUPPLEMENTARY     NOTES 


(   «NI 


EDITED  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 

William  s.  Myers,  f.c.s.,  Director 

Nitrate  of  Soda  Propaganda 

Late  Professor  in  Chemistry  in  the  State  Agricultural 

College  of  New  Jersey 

12-16  John  Street,  New  York 


THE  Chilean  Nitrate  Propaganda  is  not  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  but  will  furnish  a  list 
of  dealers  to  all  who  apply  for  it. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  original  package  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  contains  approximately  200  lbs.  of  normally 
dry  Nitrate  of  Soda.  Sacks  of  100  lbs.  and  50  lbs.  are  now 
on  the  market. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  is  generally  sold  in  the  original  pack- 
ages and  should  be  stored  or  kept  in  a  dry  place.  Glass 
Works  and  Manufacturers  of  Dynamite  and  Gunpowder 
usually  have  Nitrate  on  hand. 

If  you  have  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  Nitrate,  either 
by  reason  of  prohibitive  prices  or  undue  delays  or  on 
account  of  inability  of  dealers  to  supply  you  promptly,  let 
me  know  at  once,  and  the  difficulty  will  be  investigated 
immediately. 

Correspondence  concerning  excessive  freight  charges 
is  invited.  If  Nitrate  is  discriminated  against  by  the  Trans- 
portation Companies,  please  secure  and  forward  all  the 
facts  and  details  properly  verified. 

When  ordering  Nitrate,  please  be  sure  to  request  your 
Dealer,  Manufacturer  or  Importer  to  have  your  invoice 
clearly  and  distinctly  marked  as  "  Fertilizer."  This  is 
necessary  that  this  valuable  Farm  Chemical  may  be 
properly  classified  in  order  to  avoid  the  discrimination 
practised  by  the  Railroads  against  Nitrate. 

WILLIAM  S.  MYERS,  Director 

CHILEAN  NITRATE  PROPAGANDA 

i2-i6  John  St.,  New  York 


FOOD   FOR   PLANTS 

HARRIS 


New  Edition 
with  Supplementary  Notes 


^ 


EDITED  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 

"William  S.  Myers,  f.c.s.,  Director 

Nitrate  of  Soda   Propaganda 

Late  Professor  in  Chemistry  in  the  State  Agricultural 

College  of  New  Jersey 

12-16  John   Street,  New  York 


CONTENTS. 


Food  Necessary  for  Plants,      ------ 

Are  the  Farmers  of  Europe   More   Intelligent   Than  Those 

of  America  ?_--_--- 
Nitrate  and  Potash  Test  at  Kentucky  Experiment  Station,   - 
Supplement,      -------- 

Michigan  Experiments  on  Sugar  Beets  in   1901, 

Nitrate  Nitrogen  vs.  Ammonia  Nitrogen, 

What  Orange  Growers  Say,  ----- 

Profitable  Onion  Cultivation,        ----- 

Stable  Manure  and  Artificial  Fertilizer  Upon  Fruit  Trees,     - 

How  Big  Chrysanthemums  Are  Made, 

Market  Gardening  with  Nitrate,       - 

Typhoid  from  the  Soil,        _____ 

How  to  Use  Chemical  Fertilizers  to  Advantage, 

Wheat  and  Oats,  Rye  and  Barlev,         - 

Fertilizers  for  Fruits,      - 

How  Nitrate  Benefits  the  Farmer,         -  -  - 

Niter  in  Fertilizing,  California  Bulletin,     - 

Grass  Growing  for  Profit, 

Making  Two  Blades  of  Grass     Grow — Grass  a  Responsive 

Crop,  --------- 

Nitrate  of  Soda  Experiments  at   the   North   Carolina   State 

Horticultural  Society's  Experiment  Farm, 
The  Maryland  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Summary  of  Bulletin   No.  150 — Value   of  Different    Forms 

of  Ammoniates,  ______ 

Terms  Used  in  Discussing  Fertilizers, 
South  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
University  of  Arizona  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Purdue  University — Indiana  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
U.    S.    Department      of    Agriculture — Experiment     Station 

Work,  XII — Farmers'  Bulletin  No.   105, 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture — Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  122 

— Experiment  Station  Work,  XVI,  -  -  -  _ 

Experiment    Station   Work,   XIII — Farmers'    Bulletin    No. 

107,     -  -         -  -  -  - 

Summarv  of  Increased  Yields  from  Application  of  1 00  Pounds 

per  Acre  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  - 

Table  Showing  Prices  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  the   Ammoniate 

Basis,  _____  _  _ 

Some  Practical  Hints  Regarding  Nitrate, 


13 

18 

31 

40 

4^ 
48 

52 
58 

fco 
61 
73 
75 
79 
80 
81 
85 
88 

89 

ICO 

125 

126 
129 
l3l 
*33 
l33 

136 
138 
139 

H3 

144 
H5 


Chapter  on 
Market   Gardening   with    Nitrat 


FOOD  FOR  PLANTS. 

From  the  writings  of  Joseph  Harris,  M.  Sc.     Revised 
by  S.  M.  Harris. 

It    is    well    known    that   animals,  and    ^     A  NT 
•  11  ,  i  11   i       Food  Necessary 

especially  young  animals,  must  have  all  the    f      p. 

food   they    can  eat    in    order  to    properly 

develop  and    grow    fat.      This    is    equally    true   of  plants. 

Plants  will  manage  to  live  on  very  little  fcod,  but  to  grow, 

thrive  and  bear  fruit  they  require  an  abundance  of  food  in 

the  soil. 

The  food  of  plants  consists  of  a  number  of  elements, 
including  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  lime,  magnesia,  iron, 
silica,  potash,  etc.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  all  these  neces- 
sary elements,  except  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash, 
exists  in  nearly  all  agricultural  soils.  Nitrogen  is  nearly 
always  deficient,  phosphoric  acid  usually,  and  potash  often. 
In  some  soils  there  may  be  enough  of  all  the  elements  of 
plant  food  except  one.  Let  us  assume  that  this  one  is 
Nitrogen.  In  this  case  the  growth  and  yield  of  the  crop 
will  be  limited  by  the  quantity  of  Nitrogen  it  can  contain. 
There  might  be  an  abundant  supply  of  all  the  other 
elements,  but  the  plants  could  not  use  them  without  Nitro- 
gen. This  would  be  true  of  any  one  of  the  other  elements 
that  might  be  deficient.  The  plants  must  have  them  all 
at  the  same  time  to  develop  in  perfection. 

What  the  farmer  and  gardener  must  do  therefore  is  to 
furnish  the  plants  with  the  elements  of  plant  food  that  are 
lacking  in  the  soil. 

Nitrogen  is    one  that  is  nearly    always     N. 
deficient.      This   is    due    to    the    fact    that     N      .      .. 
Nitrogen  in  a  soluble  form  is  easily  washed     rw-  • 
out    of  the    soil,   while    phosphoric     acid, 
potash  and  the  other  mineral  elements  will    not  wash   out. 


Food   for  The  question  that  presents  itself  to  the  farmer,  gardener 
Plants  and  fruit  grower  is,  How  can  I  supply  my  plants  with  Nitro- 

4  gen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  in  the  best  forms  and  at  the 
least  expense?  We  will  try  to  throw  some  light  upon  this 
question  in  the  following  pages.      We  will  take  first, 

Phosphoric  Acid. 

r».  .  .  .  .  ,  There  are  two  principal  sources  of  phos- 
Phosphonc  Acid.     ,      .  .  ,       *         v  r 

phone     acid,     namely,     hones     and     rock 

phosphates.      Of  these,  the  rock  phosphate  is  the  cheapest 

source.     A  prevailing  impression  exists  that  superphosphate 

made  from  rock  phosphate  is  not  as  good  as  that  made 
from  hones.  It  has  been  shown  by  many  experiments  that 
this  idea  is  entirely  without  foundation.  What  the  plants 
want  is  soluble  phosphoric  acid,  and  it  makes  little  or  no 
difference  from  what  source  it  is  derived. 

The  largest  deposits  of  rock  phosphates  exist  in  South 
Carolina  and  Florida.  These  beds  of  phosphate  are  sup- 
posed to  be  composed  of  the  petrified  bones  and  excrements 
of  extinct  animals.  When  this  substance  is  ground  and 
mixed  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  sulphuric  acid,  the  larger 
part  of  the  phosphoric  acid  which  it  contains  becomes 
soluble  in  water.  The  knowledge  of  this  fact  was  one  of 
the  greatest  agricultural  discoveries  of  the  age. 

When  the  rock  phosphate  is  thus  treated  with  sulphuric 

acid,  it  becomes  what  is  chemically  known  as  superphosphate 

of  lime.      The  same  is  true  if  ground  bone  is  treated  in  the 

same  way.      A    good    example   of  superphosphate   contains 

14  per  cent  of  soluble  phosphoric  acid. 

p>        .  The  cheapest  sources  of  potash  are  muriate 

Potashes.  c  /       ,  ,      ,   v 

or  potash  and  wood  ashes. 

Wood  ashes,  if  unleached,  contain  from  3  to  5  per  cent 
of  potash  in  the  form  of  carbonate  of  potash.  They  also 
contain  from  1  to  2  : 2  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid  (insoluble  1. 
They  are  worth,  as  plant  food,  from  5".cc  to  Si  2.00  per 
ton,  according  to  the  amount  of  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid  they  contain. 

Muriate  of  potash  is  by  far  the  most  important  source 
of  potash.  It  is  found  in  large  deposits  near  Stassfort, 
Germany,  in  what  is  called  "  Carnallite,"  which  contains 
about  1  5  per  cent  of  muriate  of  potash.      This  is  refined  so 


VIEWS  OF  CHILEAN   NITRATE  WORKS. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Opening  up  Trench  After  Blasting,  Showing  Extraction  of  Caliche 
bv  Piece  Work. 


' 


Loading  Caliche  into  Railway  Trucks. 


Food   for  that  when  exported  the  commercial  article  contains  from  80 
Plants   to  85  per  cent  of  pure   muriate   of  potash,  or  5c  to  52  per 
cent  of  actual  potash.      This  is  the  cheapest  form  in   which 
potash  can  now  be  bought. 

It  is  claimed  that  a  few  plants,  of  which  tobacco  is  the 
most  important,  are  injured  by  the  chlorine  contained  in 
the  muriate  of  potash  ;  sulphate  of  potash  is  therefore  used 
for  these  crops. 

Nitrogen    is    the    most    expensive,    impor- 
1  ltrogen'  tant    and  effective  element    of  plant  food, 

and  at  the  same  time  is  the  one  that  is  generally  deficient 
in  the  soil. 

There  are  a  great  many  sources  of  Nitrogen,  such  as 
sulphate  of  ammonia,  which  is  obtained  during  the  process 
of  making  gas,  dry  ground  fish,  cotton-seed  meal,  dried 
blood,  leather  scraps,  etc.  But  none  of  these  furnish  Nitro- 
gen in  the  form  in  which  it  is  taken  up  by  plants.  This 
can  or.lv  be  furnished  to  plants  in  the  form  of  Nitrates. 
Nitrogen  applied  in  anv  other  form  has  to  be  converted 
into  Nitrate  before  it  can  be  taken  up  by  the  plants. 

A  Nitrate  is  the  result  of  a  union  between  nitric  acid 
and  an  element  called  a  "base."  Nitric  acid  contains  the 
Sitrogen  that  is  necessary  for  the  growth  of  plants.  It 
unites  with  many  different  elements,  and  forms  a  number  of 
salts  that  are  useful  for  many  purposes.  For  instance,  when 
united  with  potash  it  forms  Nitrate  of  potash,  or  what  is 
commonly  called  "nitre''  or  "saltpetre;"  when  united  with 
soda  it  forms  Nitrate  of  Soda,  which  is  the  best  form  in 
which  to  furnish  Nitrogen  to  plants.  When  we  say  the 
best  form  we  mean  the  best  practical  form.  Nitrate  of 
potash  'saltpetre  would  be  just  as  good,  but  is  much  too 
expensive.  Nitrate  of  Soda  not  only  furnishes  Nitrogen  in 
its  most  available  form,  but  it  furnishes  it  at  a  lower  price 
than  almost  anv  other  source.  The  exceptions  are  a  few 
organic  substances  in  which  Nitrogen  exists  in  an  insoluble 
form. 

cc    ,  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  found  in  vast  quanti- 

Nitrate  of  Soda.    ^  [q  ^  north  rf  ^^   wh  America. 

The  beds  of  Nitrate,  or  "caliche,"  as  it  is  called  in  Chile 
before  it  is  refined,  are  several  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
on  a  desert  plain  extending  for  seventy-five  miles  north  and 
south,  and  about   twenty  miles    wide,  in    a    rainless   region. 


VIEWS  OF  CHILEAN  NITRATE  WORKS. 


Food    for 
Plants 


>p  of  Caliche  Hopper  :  Carts  Tipping  Caliche. 


Elevators  from  Crushers  to  Boiling  Tanks. 


Food  for  The  surface  of  the  desert  is  covered  with  earth  or  rock, 
Plants  called  "  costra,"  which  varies  from  three  to  ten  or  more  feet 
8  in  thickness.  Under  this  is  found  the  "  caliche,"  or  crude 
Nitrate.  The  layer  of  "caliche  "  is  sometimes  eight  or  ten 
feet  thick,  but  averages  about  three  feet.  This  "  caliche  " 
contains  on  the  average  about  50  per  cent  of  pure  Nitrate 
of  Soda. 

The  "  caliche  "  is  refined  by  boiling  in  water  to  dissolve 
the  Nitrate.  The  hot  water  is  then  run  off  and  allowed  to 
cool  in  tanks,  when  the  Nitrate  forms  in  crystals  like  com- 
mon salt.  The  Nitrate  is  then  placed  in  bags  of  about 
three  hundred  pounds  each  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  as  exported,  contains  about  i$}4 
per  cent  of  Nitrogen.  The  export  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  from 
Chile,  in  the  year  1890,  amounted  to  over  a  million  tons 
of  2,240  pounds  each.  By  far  the  largest  part  of  this  went  to 
Europe,  for  use  as  a  fertilizer.  How  these  beds  of  Nitrate 
were  formed  has  been  the  subject  of  much  speculation. 
The  generally  accepted  theory  is,  that  they  were  formed  by 
the  gradual  decomposition  and  Nitrification  of  marine 
animal  and  vegetable  matter,  containing  a  considerable 
amount  of  Nitrogen. 

The  same  wise  Providence  that  stored  up  the  coal  in 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  to  furnish  fuel  for  the  people 
of  the  United  States  when  their  supply  of  wood  had  become 
exhausted,  preserved  this  vast  quantity  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
in  the  rainless  region  of  Chile,  to  be  used  by  the  people  of 
the  nineteenth  century  to  furnish  their  crops  with  the 
necessary  Nitrogen,  when  the  natural  supply  in  the  soil  had 
become  deficient. 

„,.,        ,  By  "complete  fertilizers,"  we  mean   fertili- 

Complete  J  r.  .       XT.  ,        ,  ■  , 

P      ...         ,,         zers  containing  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid 

T-,     A,       '  and  potash.     This  includes  the  majority  of 

The  Most  ,      K     ...  ,  ,       ^,  c     ■%■ 

c  .  the  fertilizers    sold.      1  hese    fertilizers  are 

Expensive  .         „    ,    ..   .        ,  D       . 

p.        p      .  commonly    called    "phosphates.         People 

have   fallen   into  the    habit  of  calling   any 

commercial   fertilizer  a   "phosphate,"    whether   it  contains 

any  phosphate  or  not. 

Bearing  in  mind  that  all   that  is   of  any  value  in  these 

"  phosphates,"  no   matter  how  high  sounding  their  names, 

is    Nitrogen,   phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  let   us  see  what 

they  are  really    worth — that   is,   what   the  same  amount  of 


VIEWS  OF  CHILEAN  NITRATE  WORKS. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Automatic  Push-plate  Conveyor  for  Conveying  Caliche  from  Top  of 
Elevators  to  Deposit  over   Boiling  Tank. 


Crystallizing  Pans  — Full,  Filling,  and  Empty. 


gHHHHfflraBHHHMBBmflfflHIMmMKCMHUBMBH^Bi™™ 


Food  for  plant  food  can  be    bought   for   in    our   markets,  in  just  as 
Plants  good,  if  not  better,  forms. 

10  The    New    Jersey    Experiment    Station  analyzed    195 

different  samples  of  brands  of  "  Complete  Fertilizers,"  and 
published  the  results  in  Bulletin  No.  89,  October  10th, 
1892.  It  was  found  that,  in  some  instances,  complete  ferti- 
lizers that  sold  for  $34.00  to  $36.00  per  ton  only  contained 
plant  food  worth  $15.00  to  $17.00  !  But  they  were  not  all 
as  bad  as  this.  The  average  of  all  brands  analyzed  was  as 
follows  :  They  contained  2.74  per  cent  Nitrogen,  7.70  per 
cent  available  phosphoric  acid,  and  4.50  per  cent  potash. 
The  selling  price  was  $34.23  per  ton  and  the  actual  agricul- 
tural value  $25.66  per  ton.  By  this  is  meant  that  the  same 
amount  of  actual  plant  food  that  is  contained  in  the  "  com- 
plete fertilizers,"  costing  $34.23,  could  be  purchased  in  the 
open  market,  in  just  as  good  forms,  for  $25.66.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  could  be  purchased  for  much  less  than 
this  in  quantities  often  tons  or  more.  In  one  ton  of  the 
above  "  average  fertilizer,"  selling  for  $34.23,  there  is 
154  pounds  available  phosphoric  acid,  which  can  be  bought 
for  5 y±  cents  per  pound  in  superphosphate  or  "acid  phos- 
phate," as  it  is  called  by  the  trade.  This  154  pounds  of 
phosphoric  acid  is  therefore  worth  $8.09.  There  is  54*/5 
pounds  Nitrogen;  which  can  be  bought  in  Nitrate  of  Soda 
for  15  cents  per  pound,  making  it  worth  $8.22  ;  90  pounds 
potash,  worth  4^  cents  per  pound,  equals  $4.05,  making  in 
all  $20.36  for  the  plant  food  contained  in  aton  costing  $34.23. 
But  this  does  not  tell  the  whole  story.  The  Nitrogen 
contained  in  these  "  complete  fertilizers  "  is  often  in  a  form 
that  is  not  available  to  the  plants  until  it  has  undergone 
oxidation  in  the  soil  and  become  converted  into  Nitrate. 
The  time  required  to  do  this  varies  from  a  few  days  to 
years,  according  to  the  temperature  of  the  soil  and  the  kind 
and  condition  of  the  material  used.  In  calculating  the 
value  of  complete  fertilizers,  Nitrogen  in  the  form  of 
sulphate  of  ammonia,  which  has  to  be  converted  into 
Nitrate  before  it  is  available,  is  reckoned  at  two  cents  per 
pound  higher  than  it  can  be  bought  in  the  form  of  Nitrate 
of  Soda.  This  is  not  because  the  Nitrogen  in  sulphate  of 
ammonia  is  any  better  than  in  Nitrate  of  Soda,  but  because 
it  costs  more.  This  makes  the  fertilizers  appear  to  be  worth 
more  than  they  really  are.      But  taking  the  figures  as  they 


VIEWS  OF  CHILEAN  NITRATE  WORKS. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Crystallizing  Pans  After  Running  off  Mother-liquor,  Showing 
Deposit  of  Nitrate  Crystals. 


Drying  Floors  and  Bagging  of  Nitra 


MBBMBBMMMBMi^B"""""™™™""""™" 


Food  for  are  given,  it  is  "readily   seen    that   the   consumer   of  these 

plants  "complete  fertilizers  "  pays   on   the   average    $8.57  per  ton 

12         more  than  would  buy  the  same  amount  of  plant  food  in  as 

good,  and  in  the  case  of  Nitrogen,  better  form  in  unmixed 

chemicals. 

Statistics  gathered  by  the  stations  show  that  over  one 
million  dollars  was  spent  in  1 891,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey 
alone,  for  "complete  fertilizers."  Considering  that  the 
average  "complete  fertilizer"  costs  25  per  cent  more  than 
it  is  worth,  it  is  evident  that  the  farmers  of  New  Jersey 
paid  1250,000  more  for  their  fertilizers  than  they  got  value 
in  return.  And  this  state  of  things  is  not  confined  to  the 
State  of  New  Jersey.  It  is  the  same  all  over  the  country. 
The  farmers  of  this  country  are  paying  out  millions  of 
dollars  annually  to  the  manufacturers  of  "  complete  ferti- 
lizers," which  they  could  very  easily  save  by  the  exercise  of 
a  little  intelligence  in  buying  their  plant  food. 

T1            0  Would  vou  not  think  a   man  very  unwise 

How  to  Save  ,         , u    u                 u   j   »     « r-         1  * 

..  who    should    buy   somebody  s       Complete 

Money  on  n             ,  ^      ,  /,    i       ,  .  ,  ;               ,   r  , 

c      ...  Prepared  Pood,     at  a  high  price,  when  he 

Fertilizers.  r   ,  r     ,  r   ',.    ,             •     .          c 

wanted  reed  for  his  horses,  instead  or  going 

into  the  market  and  buying  corn,  oats  and   hay,  at  market 

prices  ? 

The  "  Complete  Prepared  Food  "  would  probably  be 
composed  of  corn,  oats  and  hay  mixed  together,  and  the 
price  would  be  perhaps  twice  as  much  as  the  corn,  oats  and 
hay  would  cost  separately.  It  is  the  same  with  plant  food. 
You  should  buy  your  plant  food  in  the  best  and  cheapest  forms, 
and  feed  it  to  the  plants  separately  or  mixed  together  as  you 
prefer.  You  can  buy  available  Nitrogen  in  Nitrate  of  Soda 
for  less  than  15  cents  per  pound.  In  so-called  "  complete 
fertilizers,"  Nitrogen  costs  from  20  to  30  cents  per  pound, 
and  even  then  it  is  often  in  an  insoluble  and  unavailable 
form. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  is  at  the  present  time  the  cheapest  and  best 
form  in  which  to  buy  available  Nitrogen. 

You  can  buy  soluble  phosphoric  acid  in  superphosphate 
of  lime,  made  from  rock  phosphate,  for  about  6  cents  per 
pound  (the  superphosphate  costing  from  $15  to  $17  per 
ton,  retail),  or  in  bone-black,  which  is  made  from  bones 
that  have  been  used  during  the  process  of  refining  sugar, 
for  about  7  cents  per  pound.   These  are,  I  think,  at  present, 


the    two    cheapest    sources     of    soluble     phosphoric    acid.   Food   for 
Peruvian  guano  and  Thomas  slag  are  also  excellent  sources  s 

of  phosphoric  acid.  13 

Potash  can  be  bought,  in  muriate  of  potash,  for  about 
41.  cents  per  pound. 

Let  us  see  what  a  "  High  Grade  Complete  Fertilizer" 
made  from  these  three  sources  of  plant  food  would  cost. 

600  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda,  containing  46  pounds  Nitrogen,  costs.  .$13.50 
1,100    pounds   superphosphate,    containing    150    pounds    phosphoric 

acid,   costs 8.25 

300  pounds  muriate  of  potash,  containing  150  pounds  potash,  costs..      6.75 

2,000  pounds,  or  one  ton,  costs $28.50 

This  fertilizer  would  contain  Nitrogen  5  percent  (equal 
to  over  6  per  cent  of  ammonia),  phosphoric  acid  7^  per 
cent,  and  potash  7^  per  cent. 

A  "  complete  fertilizer  "containing  as  high  a  percentage 
of  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  as  the  above  mix- 
ture, would  cost  at  least  $35.00,  and  nine  manufacturers 
out  often  would  charge  $45.00  for  it;  and  even  then  the 
Nitrogen  would  not  be  in  a  form  in  which  it  would  be 
immediatelv  available. 

If  a  fertilizer  is  wanted  that  contains  no  more  Nitrogen 
than  the  majority  of  the  so-called  "  complete  fertilizers  " 
sold  for  $28.00  per  ton,  it  could  be  made  for  about  $22.00 
per  ton. 

Are  the  Farmers  of  Europe  More  Intelligent 
Than  Those  of  America  ? 

It  certainly  seems  so.  The  English  and  European 
farmers  instead  of  buying  their  Nitrogen  in  complete  fertilizers 
and  paying  over  20  cents  per  pound  for  it,  used  during  the 
year  1890  over  eight  hundred  thousand  (800,000)  tons  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  as  a  fertilizer,  while  not  ten  thousand  tons 
were  used  as  fertilizers  in  America. 

American  farmers,  gardeners  and  fruit  growers  are 
supposed  to  be  ready  to  "  catch  on  "  to  a  good  thing.  And 
as  soon  as  our  agricultural  papers  let  them  know  the  facts  in 
regard  to  the  great  value  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  as  a  fertilizer  our 
farmers  will  not  be  slow  to  use  it.     The  reason  why  so  little 


1^— ^— 1— ■«■ mi mil i 


Food   for  is  Said  about  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  simply  owing  to  the  fact  that 

Plants  there  is  "  no  money  in  the  trade."    It  is  an  article  that  every- 

14         body  can  sell  and  consequently  no  one  can  afford  to  advertise 

it.   The  manufacturers  of  so-called  "complete  fertilizers"  pay 

the  agricultural  papers  large  sums  of  money  every  year  for 

advertising,   and    consequently   the   editors   do   not   like  to 

publish  anything  that  might   injure  this  trade.      The   real 

friends  of  agriculture,  however,   will  be    pleased  to  know 

that  there  was  a  decided  increase  in  the  demand  for  Nitrate 

of  Soda  in  this   country   the   past  spring.      As  soon  as  the 

farmers  demand  it,  the  importers   and  dealers  in  fertilizers 

will  be  glad  to  keep  the  Nitrate  for  sale,  and  sooner  or  later 

will  advertise  it.   In  the  meantime,  if  your  agricultural  paper 

does  not  tell  you  about  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  how  to  use  it, 

take  a  paper  that  keeps  up  with  the  science  and  practice  of  the  age. 

^      ...         P  The  Roval  Agricultural  Society  of  England 

Fertilizers  for      ,  J  .     t&,  -.  ,    c     s. 

,V,L  have  conducted  experiments  with  fertilizers 

Wheat.  L        r  l 

on  wheat  for  over  twenty  years  on  the  same 

land  on  the  Duke   of  Bedford's  estate  at   Woburn.     The 

results  are  shown  in  the  following  table : 

Description  of  manures.  „„ 

1 .  No  manure 25 

2.  Mineral   manures  (super- 

phosphate and  potash)       28 

3.  Same  as  No.    2  and  275 

lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda...     45        33        38       43        39       31        40      31 

N.  It  should  not    be  forgotten   that   these   are 

~       -p.    t-     _.       the  results  with    Nitrate   of  Soda -on'wheat 
Specific  rood  c  ,  , 

„      ,VM  grown  year  after  year  continuously  on  the 

for  Wheat.  5        1     j     1  u         .-.■  J      ^ 

same  land.  In  such  conditions,  unquestion- 
ably more  or  less  Nitrogen  is  lost,  and  consequently  we  do 
not  get  as  profitable  results  from  its  use  as  in  ordinary 
rotation  on  a  well  managed  and  properly  cultivated  farm. 
One  thing  is  absolutely  proved,  however,  and  that  is  that 
wheat  must  have  Nitrogen. 

-r,     n        t-  Some    interesting    experiments    were    con- 

The  Best  Form    ,        jit»Ptjau  .u 

e  ...  c        ducted    by    Prof.    H.    A.    Huston,    at  the 

of  Nitrogen  for    D      ,        /T   .  .      .     .        ,  v, 

w,  Purdue    University     Agricultural    Experi- 

ment Station,  at  Lafayette,  Indiana,  during 
the  season  of  1890-91,  to  determine  the  best  form  of 
Nitrogen  for  wheat.      We    quote    what    Professor    Huston 


Yield  per 

acre  of  wheat  in 

bushel. 

1882 

1883 

1884 

1885 

1886 

1887 

'3 

16 

23 

21 

13 

22 

'5 

17 

22 

22 

l5 

18 

3  3 

38 

43 

39 

31 

40 

says  on  the  result  of  the  experiments,  in    Bulletin  No.  ]6,  Food  for 
August,  i  8  9 1  : 


"  The  forms  of  Nitrogen  selected  were  Nitrate  of  Soda,  azotine  or  dried 
blood,  and  sulphate  of  ammonia.  The  main  object  was  a  comparison  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  with  dried  blood,  and  the  sulphate  of  ammonia  was  intro- 
duced into  the  series  for  comparative  purposes.  The  forms  of  Nitrogen  used 
in  nearly  all  commercial  fertilizers  are  dried  blood  and  the  Nitrogen  of  organic 
compounds  like  bone  meal  or  cotton-seed  meal. 

"  It  is  well  established  that  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  superior  to  sulphate  of 
ammonia  for  wheat,  but  comparatively  little  seems  to  be  known  of  the  relative 
merits  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  organic  Nitrogen.  The  present  price  of 
ammonia  salts  is  such  that  they  are  not  generally  used  in  compounding  ferti- 
lizers, and  it  so  happens  that  the  Nitrogen  of  organic  compounds  is  used 
in  the  so-called  '  ammoniated  '  fertilizers.  Nitrate  of  Soda  furnishes  more 
Nitrogen  for  the  same  money,  but  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  a  mixture  of 
superphosphate  and  Nitrate  of  Soda." 

Here  follows  a  table  of  the  results,  which  we  have  not 
room  to  give.      Professor  Huston  goes  on  to  say  : 

"  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  gave  by  far  the  best  results, 
the  gain  being  nearly  double  that  for  the  organic  Nitrogen,  and  about  one-half 
more  than  that  for  the  ammonia  compounds.  There  appears  on  the  whole 
no  advantage  from  the  use  of  fractional  applicadons,  while  in  the  case  of  the 
ammonia  compound  there  was  a  decided  loss  in  fractional  applications." 

The  results  of  changing  the  form  of  the  Nitrogen  at 
different  stages  of  the  growth  of  the  plants  are  given  at 
Table  II.  We  have  not  room  to  reproduce  this  table,  but 
Professor  Huston's  remarks  which  follow  give  the  practical 
result : 

"  Here  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  seems  to  be  the  controlling  factor,  and  so  far 
as  the  appearance  of  the  plants  indicated,  there  was  no  advantage  from  change 
of  form.  All  the  plants  in  this  series  to  which  Nitrogen  was  applied  looked 
practically  alike  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  experiment.  No 
appreciable  difference  could  be  seen  in  the  fall,  or  at  the  opening  of  the  spring 
up  to  April  10-15,  between  the  plots  to  which  Nitrogen  had  been  applied 
and  those  which  had  received  no  Nitrogen.  On  April  20th  the  plots  to 
which  the  Nitrogen  had  been  applied  showed  a  darker  color  and  the  plants 
were  larger  with  broader  leaves.  From  this  time  on  the  Nitrate  of  Soda 
plots  seemed  to  lead  the  others.  On  May  1  8th  the  ground  was  too  dry  for 
the  wheat  to  make  much  growth,  but  the  rain  of  May  20-21  was  very 
seasonable,  and  the  Nitrogen  applied  on  May  1 8th  was  washed  into  the 
ground.  At  this  time  the  Nitrate  plots  seemed  better  than  those  having 
sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  both  the  Nitrate  and  ammonia  plots  were  heavier 
and  of  much  darker  color  than  those  receiving  azotine.  The  plants  on  the 
plots  that  had  received  Nitrogen  were  about  six  inches  taller  than  on  those 
receiving  no  Nitrogen,  and  this  continued  until  the  grain  was  ripe." 


Plants 

15 


Food    for  Summary. 

Plants 
— — —  "i.    The  experiment   confirms    the  superiority    of   Nitrate  of  Soda  over 

ammonia    salts    for    wheat,    and    indicates    that  its  superiority  over  organic 
Nitrogen  is  even  greater  than  that  over  ammonia  salts. 

"2.  A  given  sum  of  money  will  buy  more  Nitrogen  in  the  form  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  than  in  any  other  form  except  cotton  seed,  yet  the  gain  from 
Nitrate  of  Soda  is  nearly  double  that  from  the  use  of  organic  Nitrogen.'''' 

Professor  Atwater,  in  writing  of  some  experiments  made 
by  Professor  McBride,  at  the  South  Carolina  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  on  oats  and  wheat,  in  1889,  says: 

"A  comparison  of  four  of  the  tests  conducted  on  both  farms  indicates 
that  the  inorganic  Nitrogen  (Nitrate  of  Soda)  gave  nearly  1 00  per  cent  more 
increase  of  yield  than  the  organic  (cotton-seed  meal,  dried  blood,  etc.),  and 
nearly  50  per  cent  more  than  both  forms  used  together." 

u       .     A      ,        Drill  in  with  the  wheat  in  the  fall  a  mixture 
How  to  Apply        -  ,  111 

Nitrate  of  Soda    of    2j°   Pou  ™P«T>hosphate  a"d   5° 

W/u     »  pounds    JNitrate   or    Soda  per  acre.     Or,  if 

to  Wheat.  ^        i     j  ■         j         j         ^     ,,  ■, 

your  land  is  sandy  and  poor,  add  50  pounds 

muriate  of  potash  to  the  above.      Early   in    the  spring,  sow 

broadcast  100  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre. 

Professor  W.  F.  Massey  wrote  to    Mr.  H.  J.  Scott,  of 

Virginia,  in  regard  to  the  effect  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  wheat, 

as  follows: 

"I  have  made  several  experiments  with  Nitrate  of  Soda.  The  first  was 
on  wheat  in  Albemarle  County,  Va.  I  used  200  pounds  per  acre  on  part 
of  the  field  which  had  been  fertilized  with  400  pounds  acid  phosphate  in  the 
fall.  The  result  was  9  bushels  per  acre  more  than  on  the  rest  of  the  field, 
and  a  stand  of  clover,  while  none  of  any  account  stood  on  the  rest  of  the 
field." 

A  smaller  application  of  Nitrate  possibly  would  have 
produced  nearly  as  good  results. 

d    I  At   the  celebrated    Experimental    Farm  of 

Lawes  &  Gilbert,  at  Rothamsted,  England, 
in  1883,  the  following  results  were  obtained  by  the  use  of 
superphosphate  and  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  barley  : 

No  manure 16*^  bushels  per  acre 

lY2  cwt.  superphosphate  of  lime 23^  bushels  per  acre 

3  i/£  cwt.  superphosphate  of  lime  and  200  lbs.  ammonia 

salts 49/^  bushels  per  acre 

lY2  cwt.  superphosphate  of  lime  and  275  lbs.  Nitrate 

of  Soda 5  3  /i  bushels  per  acre 


The  200  pounds  of  ammonia  salts  contained   as   much   Food   for 
Nitrogen  as  the  275  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda,  but  the  Nitrate  Plants 
produced  nearly  four  bushels    more  barley  per  acre.      It  is         1T 
evident  from  the  foregoing  that  barley  must  have  Nitrogen, 
and  that  it  is  more   effective    in  the  form  of  Nitrate  than  in 
the  form  of  ammonia. 

In  the  experiment  made  by  Dr.  Voelcker,  in  behalf  of 
the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  at  Woburn,  the 
following  results  were  obtained  with  barley  sown  year  after 
year  on  the  same  land : 

„        .    .         ,  Yield  per  acre  of  dressed  barlev  in  bush. 

Description  of  manures.      iggo    iggj       ig£     igg3    igg4     ^    igg6    igg?     iggg 

No  manure ...21  33  27^  22^  33^  ^^y^  r8#  *o%  i6y2 

Mineral  manures 22^  33^  23  28  32  21  i8#  22  20 

Mineral  manures  and  275 

lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda.  .49  53  5o'/2  55^  57^  5o%  4°X  43>^  45^ 

The  mineral  manures  consisted  of  superphosphate  and 
potash.  We  would  recommend  drilling  in  with  the  barley 
a  mixture  of  200  pounds  superphosphate  and  150  pounds 
Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre,  and  if  the  land  is  "  run  down  "  or 
sandy,  add  50  to  100  pounds  muriate  of  potash  to  the 
mixture. 

We  recommend   the   use   of  the    same  ^ 

mixture  for  oats  as  for  barley. 

In  1888  we  used  200  pounds  superphosphate  and 
150  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  7^  acres  of  oats,  and 
harvested  610  measured  bushels.  The  oats  weighed  40 
pounds  per  bushel,  and  we,  therefore,  got  over  100  bushels 
of  32  pounds  per  acre.  The  land  was  sown  to  wheat  in 
the  fall  and  seeded  down  with  timothy  and  clover.  The 
wheat  was  a  heavy  crop,  and  the  crop  of  hay  the  following 
year  was  immense. 


■MMBHMBI^^M^MMMranBli^MBMMB 


NITRATE  AND   POTASH  TEST 

at  Kentucky  Experiment  Station. 
Bulletin  99,  page  71. 


The  oats  in  this  experiment  were  planted  April  15, 
1899,  and  harvested  July  10th.  Plot  No.  1  was  one  acre 
in  area ;  the  others  were  one-half  acre  each. 

The  fertilizers  were  sown  May  27th.  The  fertilizers 
used  and  yields  obtained,  both  calculated  to  the  acre,  were 
as  follows  : 

p  In     1 89 1     the     New    Jersey    Experiment 

Station  conducted  some  experiments  with 
potatoes  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Amos  Gardner,  in  Gloucester 
County,  N.  J.  The  potatoes  were  planted  in  plots  of  one- 
twentieth  of  an  acre.  The  results  are  given  in  the  following 
table : 

Experiments  with  Fertilizers  on  Potatoes. 

W  ,         •  A  Yidd    Per 

Yield  per  plot  in  pounds. 
Kind  of  fertilizer  used.  Large.   "   Small.         Total.  J«£ 

i.    No  manure 143  57  2°°  33^3 

2.  Bone-black  (superphosphate)  16  lbs.; 

muriate  of  potash,  8  lbs.     .  ...     .    321  51  372  124 

3.  Same  as  above  with  Nitrate  of  Soda, 

10  lbs 562  40  602  200%; 

4.  Barn-yard  manure,   1  ton 432  65  497  1  15^ 

It  will  be  noticed  that  on  plot  3,  where  Nitrate  was 
used,  the  yield  was  not  only  greatly  increased  but  the  per- 
centage of  small  potatoes  was  very  much  less  than  on  the 
other  plots.  The  addition  of  Nitrate*  of  Soda,  at  the  rate 
of  200  pounds  per  acre,  to  the  superphosphate  and  potash 
made  an  increase  of  80  bushels  of  large  potatoes  per  acre. 
The  200  pounds  of  Nitrate  cost  about  $4.75.  The  value 
of  80  bushels  of  potatoes  at  60  cents  per  bushel  would  be 
$48.00.  The  profits  can  be  easily  calculated.  It  is  also 
worthy  of  note  that  the  chemical  fertilizers  produced  43 
bushels  of  large  potatoes  more  per  acre  than  20  tons  of 
barn-vard  manure. 


IB 


Mr.  E.  S.  Carmen,  editor   of  the  Rural  New  Yorker,  Food   for 
experimented  with  fertilizers  on   potatoes  on  rich  land  with   Plants 
the  following  results  : 

1.  400  pounds   superphosphate   and    300   pounds  sul- 

phate of  potash 245  bushels  per  acre. 

2.  Same  as  plot  1   with  the  addition  of  200  pounds  of 

Nitrate  of  Soda 348  bushels  per  acre. 

It  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  addition  of  200 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  produced  ]  03  bushels  more  than 
the  superphosphate  and  potash  alone,  that  potatoes  must 
have  Nitrogen,  and  that  in  greater  quantities  than  is  supplied 
by  the  ordinary  so-called  "Complete  Potato  Manure." 

It    is    the  usual   practice  among  sweet  ^  p 

potato  growers  to  use  large  quantities  of 
stable  manure  for  this  crop.  In  1891  the  New  Jersey 
Experiment  Station  made  some  experiments  in  order  to 
determine  whether  commercial  fertilizers  could  not  be  used 
instead  of  stable  manure,  which  is  a  large  item  of  expense. 
The  experiment  was  conducted  on  the  farm  of  Mr. 
Theodore  Brown,  in  Gloucester  County,  New  Jersey.  The 
following  table  gives  the  most  important  results: 

Experiment  with  Fertilizers  on  Sweet  Potatoes. 

xr-   j     c  c    .T  j  -■..  Cost  of  Bushels  per  acre. 

Kind  of  fertilizer  and  quantity  per  acre.  r     ...  .  „,,„,, 

M  ;  h  fertilizer.  Large.         Small.        Total. 

1.  No  manure 157  51  208 

2.  320  lbs.  bone-black,  160  lbs.  muriate 
of  potash $   7.70           205  36  241 

3.  200    lbs.     Nitrate  of  Soda,   320  lbs. 
bone-black,  160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash  12.34          27°  58  328 

4.  20  tons  barn-yard  manure 30.00           263  61  324 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  addition  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  to 
the  bone-black  and  potash  gave  an  increase  of  65  bushels 
per  acre,  and  that  the  Nitrate,  bone-black  and  potash, 
together  costing  $12.34,  produced  a  little  larger  yield  than 
20  tons  of  manure,  costing  $30.00.  In  speaking  of  the 
results,  Professor  Voorhees  says: 

"  Another  point  of  considerable  importance,  since  it  has  reference  to  the 
salability  of  the  potatoes,  was  noticed  at  the  time  of  digging,  \iz.  :  That 
those  grown  with  chemical  manures  alone  were  bright  and  smooth  of  skin, 
while  at  least  one-third  of  those  grown  with  barn-vard  manure  were  rough 
and  partially  covered  with  scurf." 


Food  for  The    value     ot    tobacco     depends     largely 

Plants     lObaCCO.  .  r  ,  ,  r         J  S 

ridnii>  upon  its  quality,  and  as  the  quality  depends 

20         greatly  upon  the  amount  of  available  plant  tood  in  the  soil, 
the  use  of  fertilizers  often  results  in  very  large  profits. 

At  the  Kentucky  Experiment  Station,  in  1889,  experi- 
ments were  made  with  fertilizers  on  Burley  tobacco.  The 
land  was  "  deficient  in  natural  drainage,"  so  that  the  ferti- 
lizers could  hardly  be  expected  to  have  their  full  effect. 
Yet,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  table,  the  profits  from 
the  use  of  the  fertilizers  were  enormous  : 

Experiments  on  Tobacco  at  the  Kentucky 
Experiment  Station,  in   1889. 


Fertilizer  per  acre                „ 

ight. 

Yield  of  tobacco — po 
Red.       Lugs.     Tips 

unds. 
Trash. 

Total. 

Value  of 
tobacco 
per  acre. 

210 

2CO 
45° 

360 
3  10 

60 

90 

54° 
5  3° 

I  160 
l6lO 

S  6-. 20 

1 60  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda 

138.40 

160  lbs.  sulp.  of  potash; 

1 60  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda 

190 

755 

605 

1  20 

I40 

l8lO 

190.4.5 

320     lbs.     superphos- 

phate; 160  lbs.  sulp.  of 

potash;  1 60  lbs.  Nitrate 

of  Soda 

3 10 

810 

420 

10 

360 

2000 

201.2c 

The  tobacco  was  assorted  by  an  expert  and  the  prices 
given  as  follows  :  Bright  and  red,  fifteen  cents  per  pound  ; 
lugs,  six  cents  per  pound;  tips,  eight  cents  per  pound; 
trash,  two  cents  per  pound. 

One  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda,  costing 
about  S3. 75,  increased  the  value  of  the  crop  $71.20  per 
acre.  The  addition  of  160  pounds  sulphate  of  potash  gave 
$52. q<;  more,  and  320  pounds  superphosphate,  Si  1.25, 
making  altogether  Si  34.50  per  acre  more  than  where  ferti- 
lizers were  not  used. 

A  larger  application  of  Nitrate  in  connection  with  the 
phosphate  and  potash  would  probably  have  still  further 
increased  the  value  of  the  crop. 

Mr.  Robert  P.  McAnally,'  of  Saxon,  N.  C,  wrote  us 
September  29th,  1892,  as  follows: 

"  Your  essay  on  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  for  manure  induced  me  to 
try  it  on  tobacco  last  season  and  it  did  so  well  that  I  have  used  five  times  the 
amount  this  season  that  I  did  last,  and  my  crop  at  this  writing  is  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  every  one  that  sees  it  ;  so  much  so  that  the  agriculturist 
at  our  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  has  written  me  he  will  call  on  me 
next  week  to  see  my  tobacco  crop." 


We   should   recommend  for    tobacco    a   mixture  of  200   Food   for 

pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda,  300  pounds   superphosphate  and  s 

150   pounds  sulphate   of  potash   per  acre.     This   mixture        21 

would  cost  about  $28.00  per  ton  and   would   contain    over 

6   per  cent  of  Nitrogen  (equal  to  nearly  eight   per   cent   of 

ammonia).     This  is  nearly  twice  as  much  Nitrogen  as  would 

be  obtained  in  a   "complete  fertilizer  "  or  "  special  tobacco 

manure,"  costing  535.00  per  ton. 

There  are  numerous  cases  where  Nitrate   NT.  c  c  ^ 

c  0    ,  .  ,     •  1  j  Nitrate  of  Soda 

or  Soda  can  be  used  with  very  great  advan-   „      p 

tage  and  profit  as  a  top  dressing  for  grass. 

Milkmen,  who  sell  milk  in    our  cities,  know  the  great 

inconvenience  and  loss  arising  from  a  failure  of  pasture  or 

green  fodder  from  drouth. 

Farmers  who   raise  early  lambs  for  the  .  , 

l       l  11     a-     1  ii-i  Advantages, 

butcher   can    well    afford   to  spend  a   little  ,    ,.  ,, 

XT.  c  o  j  -r  •       -M     •  Indirect  as  well 

money  for  Nitrate    of    Soda  if  it  will  give        y^.. 

,  ,    ,.         c  ,     •    5  ,  as  Direct. 

them    a   good    bite    of    grass    early  in    the 

season  for  the  ewes  and  lambs,  and  that  it  will  certainly  do. 
In  the  United  States  such  seasons  as  that  of  1870  in 
England  are  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception,  and  the 
following  results  from  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  per- 
manent meadow  at  Rothamsted,  in  the  drv  season  of  1870, 
are  of  great  interest : 

Hav  per  acre. 

1 .  No  fertilizer.    644  lbs. 

2.  300  lbs.    sulphate  potash,    ioo   lbs.    sulphate  soda,   ioo  lbs. 

sulphate  magnesia,  3^  cwt.  superphosphate   of  lime 1,968    " 

3*.    Same  mineral  manures  as  plot  2  and  400  lbs.  ammonia  salts.  .    3,306   " 
4.    Same  mineral  manures  as  plot  2  and  550  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda   6,300    " 

It  will  be  seen  that  550  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  give 
an  increase  over  plot  2  of  4,332  pounds  of  hay. 

The  same  amount  of  Nitrogen,  but  in  the  form  of  ammo- 
nia salts,  with  an  equal  amount  of  minerals,  on  plot  3, 
produced  about  3,000  pounds  less  hav  per  acre  than  when 
Nitrogen  was  applied  as  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

In  a  letter  written  March  17th,  1890,  Sir  John  B.  Lawes 
savs : 

"  At  equal  prices  for  Nitrogen  I  certainly  prefer  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  salts 
of  ammonia.  The  superiority  on  pasture  grasses  is  more  decided,  and  in  dry 
seasons  when  the  grass  upon  the  ammonia  plots  is  quite  burned  up  there  is 
always  plenty  of  grass    where   the  Nitrate  is  used.      We  had  a  great  drouth 


Food  for  in  1870,  and  we  had  no  grass  anywhere  except  upon  the  Nitrate  plots.  We 
Plants  found  roots  four  feet  deep  from  the  surface,  evidently  following  the  Nitrate 
^  and  of  course  getting  water  from  the  soil." 

Mr.  C.  L.  Fuller,  a  large  and  practical  farmer  of 
Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.,  wrote  us  in  September,  1892, 
as  follows  : 

What  ?nn  lh<:  "  ^n  regard  t0  Nitrate  of  Soda,  I  have  used  it  on  grass 

_  '        more  than  any  other  crop.      It  gives  me  large  crops  of 

or  Nitrate  Did     na^     This  year  j  had  three  acres  0f  new  seecijng  that 

for  Grass.  I  put  200  pounds  per  acre   on   and    I  have  cut  twenty- 

one  large  two-horse  loads  from  it  at  two  cuttings.  This  lot  three  years  ago 
produced  little  but  moss,  and  would  not  keep  one  cow  through  the  summer. 
I  have  other  land  that  was  so  nearly  exhausted  that  it  required  eleven  acres 
to  produce  four  tons  of  hay  of  poor  quality.  I  have  succeeded  in  getting  it 
seeded  with  the  use  of  400  lbs.  of  fertilizer  (phosphate  and  potash),  and  a 
little  stable  manure,  and  then  by  the  use  of  200  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda  last 
spring,  I  cut  four  tons  of  hay  per  acre  this  season.'''' 

^      ,      ^  Gardeners  who  make  a  specialty  of  growing 

Garden  Crops.    .  c       ,         ,  ur       c  a   •?  1       Z. 

large  areas  or  early   cabbage   find  it  almost 

impossible  to  make   the   land    rich    enough    the    first   year. 

They    find    that    the    second    or    third    crop,    grown    and 

manured  every  year  on  the  same  land,  is   better  and  earlier 

than  the  first  crop. 

An  experienced  American  gardener  recommends  the 
application,  every  year,  of  75  to  80  tons  of  stable  manure 
per  acre  for  early  cabbage  and  10  tons  per  acre  for  late 
cabbage.  Many  gardeners  make  this  distinction  between 
early  and  late  cabbage,  and  yet  the  late  cabbage  produce 
much  the  larger  crops  and  remove  far  more  plant  food  from 
the  soil  than  the  early  crops. 

A  market  gardener  near  New  York,  who  used  large 
quantities  of  manure  and  was  very  successful,  was  about  to 
open  a  street  through  his  garden.  Believing  his  land  to  be 
sufficiently  rich  to  carry  through  a  crop  of  cabbage  without 
manure,  he  thought  it  useless  to  waste  money  by  using 
guano  on  that  portion  on  which  the  street  was  to  be,  but 
on  each  side  he  sowed  guano  at  the  rate  of  1,200  pounds 
per  acre,  and  planted  the  whole  to  early  cabbages.  "The 
effect,"  says  the  lamented  Peter  Henderson,  who  relates 
the  incident,  "  was  the  most  marked  that  I  ever  saw.  That 
portion  on  which  the  guano  had  been  used  sold  readily  at 
$12  per  hundred,  or  about  $  1,400  per  acre,  but  the  portion 


from  which  the  guano  had  been   withheld   hardly  averaged   Food  for 
$2    per   hundred.      The    street   occupied    fully    an    acre    of  _ants 
ground,  so  that  my  friend  actually  lost  over  £1,000  in  the 
crop  by  withholding  £60  for  manure." 

There  is  no  difference  between  the  manurial  require- 
ments of  an  early  and  a  late  cabbage  Both  require  the 
same  food,  and  the  late  crop  being  the  larger,  requires  more 
rather  than  less  food  or  manure  per  acre. 

And  yet,  in  practice,  it  is  found  absolutely  necessary  to 
use  far  more  manure  for  the  early  crop  than  for  the  late 
crop.     The  explanation  is  this: 

It  is  now  known  that  the  Nitrogen  in  the  organic 
matter  of  the  soil  or  manure  is  slowly  converted  into  the 
Nitrate  form  by  the  growth  of  a  minute  organism.  This 
micrococcus  cannot  grow  if  the  soil  is  too  cold,  or  too  wet, 
or  too  drv,  or  in  the  absence  of  lime  or  an  alkali.  As  a 
general  rule,  there  is  no  lack  of  lime  in  the  soil,  and  the 
other  conditions  necessary  for  the  conversion  of  the  Nitrogen 
into  the  Nitrate  form  are  warm  weather  and  a  moist  soil  in 
good  physical  condition. 

In  the  early  spring  the  soil  is  too  wet  and  too  cold  for 
the  change  to  take  place.  We  must  wait  for  warm  weather. 
But  the  gardener  does  not  want  to  wait.  He  makes  his 
profits  largely  on  his  early  crops.  Guided  only  by  experi- 
ence and  tradition,  he  fills  his  land  with  manure,  and  even 
then  he  gets  only  a  moderate  crop  the  first  year.  He  puts 
on  75  tons  more  manure  the  next  year,  and  gets  a  better 
crop.  And  he  mav  continue  putting  on  manure  till  the  soil 
is  as  rich  in  Nitrogen  as  the  manure  itself,  and  even  then 
he  must  keep  on  manuring  or  he  fails  to  get  a  good  early 
crop.  Why?  The  Nitrogen  of  the  soil,  or  of  roots  of 
plants,  or  dung,  is  retained  in  the  soil  in  a  comparatively 
inert  condition.  There  is  little  or  no  loss.  But  when  it 
is  slowly  converted  into  Nitrate  during  warm  weather,  the 
plants  take  it  up  and  grow  rapidly. 

How,  then,  is  the  market  gardener  to  get  the  Nitrate 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  growth  of  his  early  plants? 
He  may  get  it,  as  before  stated,  from  an  excessive  and  con- 
tinuous use  of  stable  manure,  but  then  he  fails  to  get  it  in 
sufficient  quantity. 

One  thousand  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  will  furnish 
more  Nitrogen  to  the    plants   early   in   the  spring   than  the 


■BHHBBNWHHHHHDHHBBHIUBgunsraHraHH 


gardener  can  get  from  75  or  100  tons  of  well-rotted  stable 
manure.      The  stable  manure  may  furnish  Nitrate  for  his 
later  crops,  but  for  his  early  crops  the  gardener  who  fails  to 
use  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  blind  to  his  own  interests. 
T  It  has  been  found  by  experiments  made  at 

the  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station  for 
three  years,  that  Nitrate  of  Soda,  applied  when  the  plants 
are  set  out,  greatly  increased  their  growth  early  in  the 
season  and  produced  a  much  larger  crop  of  early  ripe  fruit 
than  either  barn-yard  manure,  "phosphates,"  or  no  manure 
at  all. 

In  the  experiments  conducted  by  the  New  Jersey 
Experiment  Station  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Gill,  of 
Gloucester  County,  N.  J.,  in  i89i,the  following  results 
were  obtained  : 

Experiment  with  Fertilizers  on  Tomatoes. 

„.    ,     ,  c      ...              ,        ,             .                                  Cost  of                       P  Value  of 
Kind  or  fertilizer  used  and  quantity  per  acre.             „      ...                    acre  in 

1           J  r                          fertilizer.            .      ,    ,  crop, 

bushels.  r 

i.    No  manure 613  $208.61 

2.  160  lbs.  Nitrate  or' Soda $   4.00  838  300.64 

3.  160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash,  320  lbs. 

bone-black 7. 20  649  252.92 

4.  160    lbs.    Nitrate  of  Soda,  160    lbs. 

muriate  of  potash,    300  lbs.  bone- 
black 11.20  867  301-25 

5.  20  tons  barn-yard  manure.  .......  .      30.00  612  218.27 

It  will  be  noticed  that  160  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda, 
costing  $4.00,  made  an  increase  in  the  value  of  the  crop  of 
$92.03  per  acre  over  the  unfertilized  land,  and  $82.37  over 
the  land  where  20  tons  of  barn-yard  manure,  costing  $30.00, 
was  used.  It  will  also  be  noticed  that  the  addition  of 
phosphate  (bone-black)  and  potash  had  little  or  no  effect. 
This  does  not  indicate  that  tomatoes  do  not  require  phos- 
phoric acid  and  potash,  but  tljat  enough  of  these  elements 
of  plant  food  was  already  in  the  soil.  Other  experiments 
made  on  poorer  land  showed  that  the  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash  were  necessary  in  addition  to  Nitrate  of  Soda  to 
produce  a  full  crop.  In  writing  of  these  experiments, 
Professor  Voorhees,  who  conducted  them,  says  : 

"  The  yield  of  early  tomatoes  was  very  decidedly  increased  by  the  use 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  both  alone  and  together  with  phosphoric  acid  and  potash." 


We  have  had  good    success  with   tomatoes  fertilized  in  Food   for 
the  following  manner :   before  the  plants    are  set  out  work      ants 
into  the  soil  where  they  are   to    be  planted  a  handful   of  a        * 
mixture  of  equal  parts  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  and   superphos- 
phate.     Then,  when  the  plants  have  started  to  grow,  scatter 
about  a  small  tablespoonful   of  Nitrate  around  each  plant. 

Experiments  have  been  conducted  under  p  , 
the  direction  of  the  New  Jersey  Experi- 
ment Station  by  Mr.  Stephen  C.  Dayton,  of  Somerset 
County,  N.  J.,  with  fertilizers  on  peaches.  The  fertilizers 
and  manure  have  been  applied  every  year  for  six  years, 
during  which  time  the  trees  have  borne  four  crops.  Their 
first  crop  was  in  1887.  In  1888  and  1889  good  crops  were 
secured,  but  in  1890  the  crops  were  a  total  failure,  as  else- 
where in  the  State;  in  1891  there  was  a  large  crop  harvested. 
It  was  found  that  an  application  of  150  pounds  Nitrate  of 
Soda,  350  pounds  superphosphate,  and  150  pounds  muriate 
of  potash  produced  nearly  as  good  results  as  twenty-two 
horse  loads  of  manure,  costing  nearly  three  times  as  much. 
In  1 891  the  trees  that  had  Nitrate,  in  addition  to  super- 
phosphate and  potash,  vielded  1 6  t  baskets  per  acre  more  than 
where  the  superphosphate  and  potash  were  used  alone.  And 
where  the  three  were  used  together  the  vield  was  342 
baskets  per  acre  more  than  where  no  manure  or  fertilizers 
were  used. 

By  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  superphosphate  and 
muriate  of  potash,  an  average  clear  net  profit  of  over  $75.00 
per  acre  each  year  was  secured.  Where  barn-yard  manure 
was  used  the  average  yearly  profit  was  only  $44.00. 

Mr.  Robert  B.  Treat,  of  Centreville,  Rhode  Island, 
wrote  us  February  24th,  1893,  as  follows: 

"  Up  to  1 89 1  we  had  never  received  even  a  fair  crop  of  peaches,  but 
that  spring  I  applied  Nitrate  of  Soda  at  the  rate  of  250  pounds  to  the  acre. 
The  result  was  most  gratifying.  We  raised  more  fruit  that  year  than  for 
several  years  previously  combined.  Bv  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  our 
tomatoes  yielded  at  the  rate  of  350  bushels  per  acre." 

An  experiment  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  on       Ci       ,       . 
l      •  j        jla/ttat        Strawberries, 

strawberries  was  conducted    by    Mr.  J.  M. 

White,  of  Middlesex  County,  N.  J.,  in  1 891,  under  the 
direction  of  the  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station.  Phos- 
phoric acid  and  potash  were  supplied  when   the  plants  were 


26 


)od  for  set  out  in  1889.      In  the  spring  of  1891    Nitrate   of  Soda 
ts  was  sown  broadcast  on  part  of  the  patch  at  the  rate  of  200 
pounds  per  acre,  while  the  other  part  received  no  Nitrate. 
The  result  was  as  follows : 

No  Nitrate 162  quarts  per  plot  (y%  acre). 

With  Nitrate 213  quarts  per  plot  \yi  acre). 

The  gain  from  the  use  of  Nitrate  was  at  the  rate  of 
408  quarts  per  acre.  This  was  due  largely  to  the  increased 
size  of  the  berries.  These  berries  sold  at  the  average  price 
of  io^/s  cents  per  quart,  so  that  from  the  use  of  200  pounds 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  costing  $4.50,  there  was  a  gain  of  $44.32. 
per  acre,  or  10  cents  for  every  cent  invested  in  Nitrate. 

In  Orchard  and  Garden  for  May,  1890,  Professor 
W.  W.  Massey,  of  the  North  Carolina  Experiment  Station, 
writes  as  follows : 

"In  the  spring  of  1888  I  top-dressed  an  old  strawberry  bed,  in  its  fifth 
year  of  bearing,  with  300  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre.  I  had 
intended  to  plow  it  up  the  previous  summer,  but  other  matters  prevented, 
and  the  bed  was  in  an  exhausted  condition  and  rather  foul  with  white  clover 
and  sorrel.  The  effect  was  amazing,  for  this  bed  of  an  acre  and  a  quarter, 
from  which  I  expected  hardly  anything,  gave  me  7,000  quarts  of  berries. 
Variety  Crescent  with  fertilizing  rows  of  Wilson,  Sharpless  and  others.  The 
crop  was  nearly  as  large  as  the  best  plot  had  made." 

This  was  on  moist  bottom  land,  naturally  fertile. 

As  has  been  shown  by   the  experiments  on 

asp  erne  ,        tomatoes,  peaches  and   strawberries,   enor- 

urrants,  mous   profits  are    often    realized   from   the 

gooseberries,      ^  of  fertiHzers  on  these  fmits>     The  same 

is  undoubtedly  true  in  the  case  of  rasp- 
berries, currants,  etc.,  although  we  have  unfortunately  no 
comparative  experiments  with  the  use  of  fertilizers  on  them. 
We  have,  on  our  own  farm,  a  little  over  three  acres  of 
red  currants  which  have  been  in  bearing  for  five  or  six  years. 
In  1890  the  crop  was  less  than  6,000  pounds;  in  1891  it 
was  8,200  pounds.  In  the  spring  of  1891  we  applied  a 
mixture  of  superphosphate  and  kainit  (potash)  at  the  rate 
of  about  400  pounds  per  acre.  In  the  spring  of  1892  we 
applied  200  pounds  superphosphate,  100  pounds  muriate 
of  potash  and  200  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre.  The 
crop  of  1892  amounted  to  nearly  16,000  pounds,  and  sold 
for  over  $800,  yielding  a  net  profit  of  $300  more  than  the 


year  before.      That  this  great  increase  of  yield  was  due  to   Food   for 
the  application  of  the  200  pounds   Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre        Plants 
is,  of  course,  not  proved,  but  it  certainly  looks  as  though  it         ^ 
had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it.     The  season  of  1891  was  a 
remarkably  favorable  one   for   fruit.      The  season  of  1892 
was  certainly   no  better,  and  usually   considered  much  less 
favorable. 

We  haye  used  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  connection  with 
superphosphate  and  potash  on  raspberries  with  equally 
good  results.  In  fact,  as  red  raspberries  usually  sell  for 
twice  as  much  per  pound  as  currants,  the  profits  from  the 
use  of  fertilizers  are  often  much  greater. 

We  think  it  is  the  best  plan  to  apply  the  superphosphate 
and  potash  in  the  fall  and  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  the  spring. 
There  is  no  danger  of  losing  any  of  the  phosphoric  acid  or 
potash,  as  they  will  not  leach  out  of  the  soil,  and  they  need 
the  heavy  rains  and  frosts  of  winter  to  get  them  down  to 
the  roots  of  the  plants.  The  Nitrate  is  easily  dissolved, 
and  the  first  heavy  rain  will  wash  it  down  to  the  roots.  If 
it  is  applied  in  the  fall  it  may  be  wasted  by  leaching  out 
of  the  soil  during  the  winter. 

Enormous  profits  may  be  derived  from  . 

the  proper  use  of  fertilizers  on  asparagus. 

If  the  rent,  labor,  etc.,  for  a  crop  of  asparagus  is  $200 
per  acre,  and  the  crop  is  three  tons  of  green  shoots  at  $100 
per  ton,  on  the  farm,  the  profit  is  $100  per  acre.  If  we 
get  six  tons  at  $100  per  ton,  the  profit,  less  the  extra  cost 
of  labor  and  manure,  is  $400  per  acre. 

In  such  crops  as  asparagus,  however,  doubling  the  yield 
by  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  does  not  tell  half  the  story. 

Asparagus  is  sold  by  the  bunch,  weighing  about  2^ 
pounds.  The  prices  range,  according  to  earliness  and 
quality,  from  10  cents  to  25  cents  per  bunch  at  wholesale, 
or  from  $80  to  $200  per  ton. 

By  leaving  out  all  these  considerations  and  assuming 
that  the  non-Nitrated  asparagus  yields  three  tons  per  acre 
and  sells  for  $100  per  ton,  and  that  the  Nitrated  asparagus 
yields  six  tons  per  acre  and  sells  for  $200  per  ton,  the 
profits  of  the  two  crops,  less  the  extra  cost  for  labor  and 
manure,  are  as  follows : 

Without  Nitrate  of  Soda S     •  00  per  acre. 

With  Nitrate  of  Soda 1 ,000  per  acre. 


Food   for       The  safest  way  is  to  apply  in  the  fall  400  pounds  super- 

Plants  phosphate,    1  50  pounds  muriate  of  potash,  and  100  pounds 

28        Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre,  sown   broadcast.     Early  in  the 

spring  sow  broadcast  300  to  400   pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda 

per  acre. 

.  The    first    thing   to    do   is   to    prepare   the 

How  to  Apply     fertiUz        and  if  th       are  to  be  used  at  the 

TA\        same  time> mix  them  together- 

and  Other  Nitrate  of  Soda  comes  from  South  America 

Fertilizers.  -n   bagg   which   weigh    about    224    pounds 

each.  It  is  usually  sold  in  the  original  bags.  The  Nitrate 
looks  much  like  coarse  salt  and  is  often  compacted  into 
large  lumps.  These  lumps  should  be  broken,  which  can 
easily  be  done  by  turning  the  Nitrate  out  on  the  barn  floor 
and  striking  the  lumps  with  the  back  of  a  spade.  The 
Nitrate  should  then  be  run  through  a  sieve  with  a  mesh  not 
larger  than  one-fourth  inch.  It  will  then  be  ready  for  use. 
.  Muriate    of  potash    comes  from    Germany 

Muriate  0  -^    ^^    weighing    224    pounds    each.      It 

'  sometimes    forms    in    lumps,  which  should 

be  broken  as  directed  for  Nitrate.  If  the  fertilizers  are  to 
be  mixed  together,  pour  the  right  quantity  of  each  in  a  pile 
on  the  floor  and  turn  them  over  two  or  three  times  with  a 
shovel  until  they  are  thoroughly  mixed.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  run  the  whole  through  a  sieve,  which  will  mix  the  ferti- 
lizers better  than  any  other  way.  If  Nitrate  is  used,  the 
mixing  should  not  be  done  more  than  a  week  before  the 
fertilizers  are  to  be  used,  as  the  mixture  may  "attract  moisture 
and  get  hard  if  left  too  long  after  mi: 


nxinf 


Mode  of 


We  have  found    the    following   methods  of 

applying  fertilizers  to  the  various  crops  to 
Application.         ^^  gest  and  most  practicaL     We  have 

given  directions  for  application  to  wheat,  oats,  barley,  etc., 
and  refer  below  to  the  pages  on  which  these  directions  may 
be  found  : 

Wheat — See  page  16. 

Barley — See  page  16. 

Oats — See  page  17. 

p  If  in   rows    marked   only   one  way,  scatter 

a    mixture    of,    say,    200    pounds    Nitrate, 

350  pounds   superphosphate  and   100  pounds  muriate  of 

potash  along  the  rows,   a    handful    to   every   step.      If  you 


step  three  feet,  this  will  put  on  about  600  pounds  per  acre;   Food   for 
If  only  two  feet,   900  pounds   per  acre.      Run  a  fine  tooth      ants 
cultivator  along  the  rows  to  mix  the  fertilizers  with  the  soil.         ^ 
It  will,  of  course,  be  necessary  to  mark  out  the  rows  again 
before  planting  the  potatoes.      If  planted    in   hills  marked 
both  ways,  drop  a  handful  on  each  hill  and  mix  well  with  a 
hoe  or  potato  hook ;  but  this  is   not  as  satisfactory  as  the 
other  method. 

Sweet  Potatoes — See  page  19. 
Tobacco — See  pages  20  and  21. 
"Tomatoes — See  pages  24  and  25. 

Corn — Apply  the  same  mixture  as  recommended  for 
potatoes  and  in  the  same  way.  It  usually  will  not  pay  to  use 
more  than  one  ounce  (about  one-half  handful)  to  a  hill. 
For  growing  cabbage  and  cauliflower  sow  Cabbage  and 
broadcast  the  same  mixture  as  recom-  Cauliflower 
mended  for  potatoes,  using  a  small  handful 
to  each  square  yard  of  ground,  and  rake  or  harrow  it  in 
before  sowing  the  seed. 

For  early  cabbage  set  close  together,  it  will  pay  to  sow 
the  fertilizers  broadcast  over  the  whole  ground  and  work 
them  in  before  setting  out  the  plants.  If  the  land  has  been 
heavily  manured  for  a  number  of  years  Nitrate  of  Soda 
alone  may  do  as  much  good  as  the  mixture.  In  this  case, 
the  Nitrate  may  be  applied  after  the  plants  are  set  out — a 
teaspoonful  to  a  plant. 

For  late  cabbage,  set  2^  to  3  feet  apart  each  way.  It 
is  a  good  plan  to  apply  the  fertilizers  after  the  plants  are 
set  out,  To  do  this,  scatter  a  small  handful  of  the  mixture 
recommended  for  potatoes  near  each  plant,  but  not  on  the 
plant.  Cultivate  this  in  with  a  small  tooth  cultivator.  It  is 
best  to  go  twice  on  each  row,  dropping  the  fertilizer  on  both 
sides  of  the  plants,  using  half  the  quantity  on  each  side. 
Superphosphate  should  be  worked  into  Celerv 

the  land  intended  for  growing  celery  plants, 
either  the  fall  before  or  in  the  spring  before  the  seed  is  sown, 
at  the  rate  of  500  pounds  per  acre.  As  soon  as  the  plants 
come  up,  sow  broadcast  500  pounds  Nitrate  of  Soda 
per  acre,  or  a  small  handful  to  each  square  yard.  If  heavy 
rains  occur,  it  is  well  to  give  the  plants  another  application 
of  Nitrate.  This  need  not  be  as  heavy  as  the  first 
application. 


„     ,      ^  For  garden  crops    such    as    beets,  carrots, 

Garden  Crops.  9  r     .       ,      , 

parsnips,  onions,  spinach,   lettuce,  etc.,  sow 

the  mixture  as  recommended  for  potatoes,  broadcast  before 
the  seed  is  sown,  at  the  rate  of  from  500  to  1,000  pounds 
per  acre,  according  to  the  richness  of  the  land.  When  the 
land  has  been  heavily  manured  for  a  number  of  years,  it 
may  not  be  necessary  to  use  so  much  superphosphate  and 
potash  ;  in  fact,  potash  would  probably  not  be  needed  at  all. 
Nitrate  of  Soda  alone  on  such  land  often  has  a  wonderful  effect. 
c         ,  In  setting  out  a  new  bed,  scatter  along  the 

rows  and  cultivate  in,  before  the  plants  are 
set  out,  the  same  mixture  as  for  potatoes.  It  is  well  to 
scatter  the  fertilizers  for  a  foot  each  side  of  the  rows  so  that 
the  runners  will  have  something  to  feed  upon.  In  the 
spring  sow  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  the  bed  broadcast  at  the  rate 
of  about  200  pounds  per  acre.  On  old  beds  sow  the  mix- 
ture broadcast  in  the  fall  and  an  additional  200  pounds  of 
Nitrate  per  acre  in  the  spring. 
R       ,       .  Sow  broadcast,  in  the  fall,  a  mixture  of,  say, 

n  c'         350  pounds    of  superphosphate    and    100 

v_>urrants,  ttc.  ,  •  ,       r  1  tl" 

pounds  muriate  or  potash  per  acre.      I  his 

can  be  done,  if  the  rows  are  six  feet  apart,  by  sowing  a 
large  handful  at  every  two  steps  on  each  side  of  the  row. 
Raspberries  should  have  a  small  handful  and  currants  a 
large  handful  to  each  bush.  This  should  be  cultivated  in, 
if  possible,  early  in  the  spring.  Sow  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  the 
same  way.  It  will  pay  to  put  on  as  much  Nitrate  as  you 
did  superphosphate  and  potash,  but  if  you  do  not  want  to 
put  on  so  much,  use  smaller  handfuls.  If  the  super- 
phosphate and  potash  have  not  been  applied  in  the  fall,  sow 
in  the  spring  at  the  same  time  the  Nitrate  is  sown  and 
cultivate  it  in  early  in  the  spring. 
H  ,  Since  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  muriate  of  potash 

,wu  D  are   brought   to   this   country    by  sea,  and 

Where  to  Buy        ,        ,     5  .  ,,  ;       -;  f     '     , 

c      ...  .  phosphate  is  usually  transported  from   the 

Fertilizing  ^ .     r .  1      i_  i    •  1  1 

M        .  .  mines  in  vessels,  these  materials,  as  a  rule, 

can  be   purchased   at  the    seaports  cheaper 

than  in  the  interior.      New  York  is  the  largest  market  for 

these    materials,    but   Boston,   Philadelphia  and    Baltimore 

also  receive  very  large  quantities,  as  well  as  San   Francisco. 

Lower   prices   can    be  obtained  by   ordering   fertilizing 

materials  in  car-load  lots.      A   car-load  is  not  less  than  ten 


tons.      If  you  cannot  use  a  car-load  your self *  get  your  neighbors   Food   for 
to  join  with  you.      From   $2.00  to   $4.00  per  ton   can  often     _an!s_ 
be  saved  in  this  way. 

In  buying  superphosphate  always  consider  the  percentage 
of  available  phosphoric  acid.  You  should  not  pay  more  than 
7  cents  per  pound  for  the  phosphoric  acid.  That  is,  if  the 
superphosphate  analyzes  14  per  cent,  of  available  phosphoric 
acid,  a  ton  would  contain  280  pounds,  and  should  not  cost 
more  than  $19.60  per  ton. 

The  various  brands  of  fertilizers  are  composed,  for-  the 
most  part,  of  substances  such  as  lime,  plaster,  fillers, 
superphosphate,  etc.,  which  can  be  manufactured  for  much 
less  than  the  price  charged  for  these  substances  in  so-called 
"  complete  fertilizers." 

Supplement. 

Since  the   foregoing  pamphlet  was  written,  there    have 
been  so   many  inquiries  in  regard  to    fertilizers  for   special 
crops,  and  the  best   methods  of  applying   them,   that  this 
supplement  is  added  to  furnish  information  of  this  character. 
.  There  seems  to  be  a  widespread  impression 

hxpenments  ^  &  fertilizer  for  potatoes  should  contain 
with  Potatoes.  Nitrogen  in  tw0  or  more  different  forms, 
and  also  that  potash  is  more  important  and  effective  than 
Nitrogen.  In  order  to  test  these  points  in  actual  field 
culture,  the  writer  made  the  following  experiments  in  1895, 
with  the  results  indicated  : 

Experiment  with  Fertilizers  on  Potatoes. 

Amount  of  fertilizers  used  per  acre.  Yield  per  acre. 

Plot  No.  o.        No  fertilizer 1  55  bushels. 

!200  lbs.    Nitrate  of  Soda ) 

100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash -       245  bushels. 

300  lbs.  superphosphate J 

(  400  lbs.  cotton  seed  meal ) 

Plot  No.  2.    J   100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash V       210  bushels. 

(  300  lbs.  superphosphate ) 

('  100  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda | 

200  lbs.  cotton  seed  meal. 
100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash 
300  lbs.  superphosphate 

Plot  No.  4.     J  ,0°  J*  mUriat?  of  P°tash-  •  170  bushels. 

T       J  300  lbs.  superphosphate ) 


piot No.  3.  1 2°° ;?•  !otton seer  _m!.:  '  z3° bushels- 


■llllllllllllllWHlllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIINIIIll 


Food  for  On  plot  No.  I,  where  all  the  Nitrogen  was  in  one  form 

Plants  — Nitrate  of  Soda — the  largest  yield  was  obtained,  being  35 
33  bushels  per  acre  more  than  on  plot  No.  2,  where  the 
Nitrogen  was  in  an  organic  form,  and  15  bushels  more  than 
on  plot  No.  3,  where  two  forms  of  Nitrogen  were  used. 
It  will  also  be  noticed  that  potash  and  phosphoric  acid 
without  Nitrogen  only  increased  the  yield  15  bushels  per 
acre,  while  with  Nitrate  the  increase  was  190  bushels  per 
acre. 

•    .  The   land   is  first  marked  and   a  furrower 

c      ...         c  run  along  the  rows,  making  a  furrow  about 

Potatoes1*8  four  incheS  deep'      In  this  furr°W  the  ferti" 

lizer  is  applied,  either  by  hand   or  with  a 

distributor,  and  well  mixed  with  the  soil.     This  is  best  done 

bv  running  a  cultivator  along  the  row  ;  or  when  a  distributor 

is  used,  an  attachment  in  the  form  of  a  small  cultivator  can 

be  made    to  do  the  work  at  one  operation.      The  potatoes 

are   then   dropped    in    the    furrow    and   covered.       If  it   is 

thought  best  to  cultivate  both  ways,  the  land  can  be  marked 

across  the  furrows  after  the  fertilizer  is  applied. 

On  What  Crops   Theoretically     a    given    quantity    of    Ni- 

Should  Nitrate    tnf  wlU  Produ,ce  a  P^n  *m°™    °f  dr\ 

T  y  substance  in  a  plant.      1  he  smaller  amount 

of  dry  matter  a  plant  contains  the  greater 
will  be  the  increase  in  weight  of  crop  from  a  given  quantity 
of  Nitrate.  This  is  true  in  nearly  all  cases.  Compare,  for 
instance,  wheat  and  cabbage  ;  a  ton  of  wheat,  straw  and  grain 
together  contain  about  1,500  pounds  of  dry  matter,  of  which 
25  pounds  is  Nitrogen.  To  produce  a  ton  of  wheat  and 
straw  together  would  require,  therefore,  170  pounds  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  which  quantity  would  contain  25  pounds  of 
Nitrogen 

A  ton  of  cabbage,  on  the  other  hand,  contains  only  240 
pounds  of  dry  matter,  of  which  about  4^  pounds  is  Nitro- 
gen. To  produce  a  ton  of  cabbage,  therefore,  would 
require  28  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda.  As  cabbage  sells 
often  for  about  half  as  much  per  pound  as  wheat,  there  is 
evidently  much  more  profit  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of 
Nitrate  on  this  crop  than  on  Wheat  and  in  practical  ex- 
perience this  is  so.  All  crops  that  contain  a  large  amount 
of  water  and  sell  for  comparatively  high  prices  considering 
the  small   amount  of  dry    matter   they   contain,  yield    the 


f   UNIV 

largest  profit  from  the  use  of  Nitrate  and  other  fertilizers.  Food  for 
The  most  important  of  these  crops  are  beets,  carrots,  cabbage,  PIants 
cauliflower,  celery,    onions,    tomatoes,    potatoes    and  other        w 
vegetables  and  fruits. 

After  these  the  Nitrate  produces  the  most  profit  when 
used  on  tobacco,  grain  crops,  cotton  and  grass  (excepting 
clover). 

There  are  no  crops  on  which  it  is  more  pertilizers  for 
profitable  to  use  fertilizers  than  on  vege-  Vegetables  and 
tables  and  small  fruits,  provided  they  are  on  pru;ts 
used  in  the  right  way  and  in  the  proper 
forms.  Many  failures  with  chemical  fertilizers  are  caused 
by  lack  of  knowledge  on  these  points.  Stable  manure,  when 
used  in  sufficient  quantities,  almost  invariably  produces  good 
results,  while  the  unintelligent  use  of  chemical  fertilizers 
did  not  do  as  well.  In  this  way  many  gardeners  were 
persuaded  that  there  was  nothing  equal  to  stable  manure, 
which  they  continued  to  use  in  large  quantities,  paying  in 
many  cases  fully  twice  as  much  for  it  as  the  plant  food  it 
contained  was  worth.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  stable 
manure  is  very  valuable  as  a  fertilizer,  and  is  in  many  cases 
indispensable,  but  at  the  same  time  the  quantities  necessary 
to  produce  the  results  now  obtained  could  be  greatly  re- 
duced by  using  fertilizers  to  supply  the  plant  food  and  only 
enough  manure  to  give  lightness  and  add  humus  to  the  soil. 

For  crops  like  cabbage,  beets,  etc.,  that  What  Fertilizers 
it  is  desirable    to  force  to   rapid    maturity,  t    ,,      «      ,-, 
,     r       .       ,  •  ,     ,        ,        r     j  •  11     t0  Use  for  Gar- 

tnt  form  in  which  the  plant  rood,  especially   ^      r>nns 

Nitrogen,  is  applied  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance. Many  fertilizers  sold  for  this  purpose  have  all 
the  Nitrogen  thev  contain  in  insoluble  and  only  slowly 
available  form,  so  that  it  requires  a  considerable  time  for 
the  plants  to  get  hold  of  it.  Another  fault  is  that  they  do 
not  contain  enough  Nitrogen  or  "ammonia."  Stable  manure 
contains  on  the  average  in  one  ton,  10  pounds  Nitrogen, 
10. pounds  potash,  and  only  5  pounds  phosphoric  acid, 
while  the  average  "complete"  fertilizer  or  "guano"  contains 
more  than  twice  as  much  phosphoric  acid  as  Nitrogen.  A 
fertilizer  for  quick-growing  vegetables  should  contain  as 
much  Nitrogen  as  phosphoric  acid,  and  at  least  half  this 
Nitrogen  should  be  in  the  form  of  Nitrate,  which  is  the 
only    form   in    which  it  is   immediately   available    to  plants. 


Food  for  Where'stable  manure  is  used  in  addition  to  the  fertilizers, 

plants  all  the   Nitrogen   applied   should    be  in   this  form,  and  in 

34        most  cases  it  is  better  to  have  it  all  in  this   form,  whether 

manure  is  used  or  not. 

p       P  ,,  The   best    fertilizer  is  a  mixture  of  equal 

n  ~   .  parts   of  Nitrate  of  Soda  and    superphos- 

Beets,  Onions,    r,         ,    .  ,     ,        ,       x       A  n  *.•*. 

P  p  phate  (acid  phosphate).     A  small  quantity 

'  '  of  muriate  or  sulphate  of  potash  should  be 
added  when  the  land  is  naturally  poor  or  sandy.  The  pro- 
portion of  Nitrate  to  superphosphate  can  be  varied  accord- 
ing to  the  kind  of  soil  and  previous  manuring  of  the  land. 
Land  on  which  barn-yard  manure  has  been  used  in  con- 
siderable quantities  for  a  number  of  years,  and  on  mucky 
land  full  of  decaying  vegetable  matter,  the  proportion  of 
Nitrate  should  be  smaller  than  on  sandy  land  or  on  land 
that  has  not  been  manured  properly  and  contains  only  a 
small  amount  of  vegetable  matter.  Bearing  these  facts  in 
mind,  it  is  easy  to  judge  about  what  proportion  of  each  ma- 
terial to  use  on  the  different  kinds  of  soil. 

TT  .      ,        In    applying    fertilizers    it    should    be    re- 

How  to  Apply  i        j     i_  c  c     u       u     • 

~      .,•  membered    that    any    form    or    phosphoric 

acid,  such  as  acid  phosphate,  dissolved 
bone-black,  or  bone  meal  is  only  partially  soluble,  and  will 
not  circulate  in  the  soil.  These  fertilizers  should  therefore 
be  evenly  distributed  over  the  soil  and  well  mixed  with  it. 
This  is  usually  best  done  by  applying  broadcast  before  sow- 
ing the  seed  and  before  the  ground  is  thoroughly  prepared. 
In  this  way  it  gets  well  mixed  with  the  soil. 

Nitrate  of  Soda,  on  the  other  hand,  is  extremely  solu- 
ble, and  will  diffuse  itself  throughout  the  soil  wherever 
there  is  enough  moisture  to  dissolve  it.  It  can  therefore 
either  be  applied  with  the  phosphate  before  sowing  the 
seed  or  be  scattered  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  after  the 
plants  are  up.     This  latter  method  is  usually  the  best. 

t.      x.  ,  The    best    way    is  to    scatter   the  fertilizer 

For  Melons,         c  c        J         ,     ,      ,..,  ,      ,-     •. 

~  .  .for  two   feet  around  the   hills   and  rake   it 

Cucumbers  and  .  ,  .,       .  ,  ,  ,  , 

s         .  into     the    soil    with    a    steel   garden    rake. 

This  not  only  mixes  the  fertilizer  with  the 

soil,  but  it  loosens    the  ground   and    kills   all   small    weeds 

that  are  coming  up. 

For  other  crops,  see  pages  1 6  to  31. 


Some   interesting  and   valuable   experi-  Comparative        ^o°d  for 
ments  were  made  at  the  Connecticut   kx-  Availability  of 
periment  Station,  in  1894,  to  ascertain  how    Nitrogen  in 
much    of   the  Nitrogen  contained   in    such   Various  Forms, 
materials  as  dried  blood,  tankage,  dry  fish, 
cotton-seed  meal,  etc.,  is  available  to  plants. 

The  experiments  were  made  with  corn,  and  it  was  found 
that  when  the  same  quantity  of  Nitrogen  was  applied  in  the 
various  forms  the  crop  increased  over  that  where  no  Nitro- 
gen was  applied,  as  shown  in  the  following  table: 

Increase  of  Crop  from  Same  Quantity  of  Nitrogen 
from  Different  Sources. 

Relative 
Sources  of  Nitrogen.  Crop  Increase> 

Nitrate  of  Soda 1 00 

Dried  Blood 73 

Cotton-seed  Meal 72 

Dry   Fish 7° 

Tankage 62 

Linseed  Meal 7  8 

The  above  table  shows  some  interesting  facts.  It  is 
evident  that  only  about  three-fourths  as  much  of  the  Nitro- 
gen in  dried  blood  or  cotton-seed  meal  as  in  Nitrate  of 
Soda  is  available  the  first  season.  The  Nitrogen  in  tankage 
is  even  less  available,  only  a  little  over  half  being  used  by 
the  crop. 

These  experiments  were  made  with  corn,  which  grows 
for  a  long  period  when  the  ground  is  warm  and  the  con- 
ditions most  favorable  to  render  the  Nitrogen  in  organic 
substances  available  and  yet  only  part  of  it  could  be  used 
by  the  crop.  When  Nitrogen  in  organic  forms  is  applied 
to  oats,  barley  and  other  spring  crops  that  are  sown  when 
the  ground  is  cold,  and  which  grow  only  a  short  time  dur- 
ing warm  weather,  the  amount  used  by  the  crop  must  nec- 
essarily be  considered  less. 

When  it  is  considered  that  Nitrogen  in  the  form  ot 
Nitrate  of  Soda  can  be  bought  for  less  per  pound  than  in 
almost  any  other  form,  the  advantage  and  economy  of  pur- 
chasing and  using  it  in  this  form  is  very  apparent. 

It  is  always  more  economical  to  buy  the  What  Fertilizers 
different  fertilizing  materials  and  mix  them        g 
at  home  than  to  purchase  mixed  fertilizers 


or  "guano"  as  they  are  often  called.  Bur  many  people  do 
not  wish  the  trouble  of  getting  the  materials  and  mixing 
them,  so  purchase  the  ready-mixed  fertilizers.  If  this  is 
done,  great  care  should  be  taken  to  examine  the  analysis,  so 
that  some  idea  can  be  had  of  what  the  fertilizer  contains. 
Special  attention  should  be  given  to  ascertaining  in  what 
form  the  Nitrogen  or  "ammonia"  exists.  Many  of  the 
manufacturers  do  not  tell  this,  but  the  Experiment  Stations 
analyze  all  the  fertilizers  sold  in  their  respective  States  and 
publish  the  results  in  bulletins,  which  are  sent  free  to  any 
one  asking  for  them.  These  analyses  usually  show  in  what 
form  the  Nitrogen  is.  The  "brands"  that  contain  the  most 
Nitrogen  or  "ammonia"  in  the  form  of  Nitrate  is  the  one  to 
use.  If  you  use  a  "fertilizer"  containing  only  a  small  per- 
centage of  Nitrogen  or  ammonia  in  an  organic  form,  such 
as  cotton-seed,  "tankage,"  etc.,  it  will  be  of  great  advantage 
to  use  a  small  quantity  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  addition  to,  or 
in  connection  with,  this  fertilizer.  This  is  often  an  econom- 
ical and  convenient  method  of  procuring  fertilizers. 

.  The     Alabama     Agricultural      Experiment 

fertilizing  Station    at   Auburn,    Alabama,  made -some 

0tt0n'  interesting  experiments  in  fertilizing  cotton 

in  1 89 1.  Experiments  were  conducted  in  many  different 
parts  of  the  State  and  on  various  kinds  of  soil.  A  con- 
densed table  of  some  of  the  results  obtained  is  given  on 
opposite  page. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  nearly  every  case  96  pounds 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  when  used  with  acid  phosphate,  gave  a 
better  yield  than  240  pounds  cotton-seed  meal  when  used 
with  the  same  quantity  of  acid  phosphate.  The  240 
pounds  of  cotton-seed  meal  contained  more  Nitrogen  than 
96  pounds  of  Nitrate,  and  cost  more  than  the  Nitrate,  yet 
did  not  give,  as  a  rule,  as  good  results.  It  will  also  be 
noticed  that,  as  a  rule,  potash  did  not  pay,  except  on  poor 
land.  Where  the  "no  fertilizer"  acre  gave  only  a  small 
yield,  the  best  results  were  obtained  from  the  combination 
of  Nitrate,  phosphate  and  potash,  but  where  the  land  was 
fairly  good,  the  potash  did  not  seem  to  be  necessary. 

Cotton-seed  meal  is  undoubtedly  an  economical  source 
of  Nitrogen  when  it  can  be  bought  at  low  enough  prices, 
but  it  should  not  be  depended  upon  to  furnish  #//the  Nitro- 


Experiments   with    Fertilizers    on   Cotton. 


Locality  and  Character  of  Soil. 


Barbour  Co.,  Sandy  Loam 

Elmore  Co.,    Gray   Sand    

Elowah  Co.,    Red   Loam 

Greene  Co.,  Sandy 

Clay  Co.,  Soil  Red 

Calhoun  Co.,  Mulatto  Soil.  .  .  . 
Lawrence  Co.,  Clay  Loam.  .  .  . 
Cullman  Co.,  Sand  and  Gravel. 

Madison  Co.,   Clay  Loam 

Randolph  Co.,  Sandy  Loam 

Butler  Co.,  Light  Sand 

Marengo  Co.,    Dark  Sand 


s 

«'  m 

M    M 

S  a 

0  . 

<~  0    . 

a.  u 

°  a.  5 

ca,  t 

J; 

■o< 

n^< 

Z-n< 

a 

<  a. 

■£<£. 

<-><  s. 

-O  -O 

o 
Z 

-1- 

fct 

H 

Yield 

Yield 

Yield 

Yield 

per  Acre. 

per  Acre. 

per  Acre. 

per  Acre. 

lbs. 

lbs. 
672 

lbs. 
I  2l6 

lbs. 

624 

768 

469 

736 

I088 

960 

24O 

6l6 

IOOO 

720 

IO4 

512 

960 

IO56 

389 

480 

800 

704 

171 

480 

64O 

624 

235 

600 

864 

688 

347 

928 

I080 

1096 

312 

448 

800 

544 

288 

3H 

752 

544 

200 

64O 

744 

760 

648 

8l6 

936 

784 

Food    for 
Plants 


%32 


Yield 
per  Acre. 


I020 

I088 
952 

I256 
848 
8l6 
9O4 

I  120 
800 

544 
800 
968 


gen.  At  least  a  half  of  the  Nitrogen  applied  should  be  in 
the  form  of  Nitrate.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  Nitro- 
gen in  the  cotton-seed  meal  is  not  immediately  available 
and  only  becomes  so  after  undergoing  the  process  of 
Nitration  in  the  soil.  If  there  is  no  available  Nitrogen 
present,  the  plant  must  wait  until  that  in  the  meal  becomes 
so,  which  in  cool,  damp  soil  is  often  a  considerable  time. 
Thus  the  plant,  in  its  most  critical  stage,  is  held  back  and 
checked  in  its  growth,  from  which  it  never  fully  recovers. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  a  small  quantity  of  Nitrate  is 
used,  the  plant  can  take  it  up  at  once  and  get  a  good  strong 
start  by  the  time  the  cotton-seed  meal  is  converted  into  a 
form  that  can  be  used  by  the  plant. 

It  will  be  noticed  by  reference  to  table  above  that 
Nitrate  gave  much  better  results  than  cotton-seed  meal  on 
heavy  land,  such  as  that  on  which  the  experiments  were 
made  in  Madison  and  Lawrence  counties,  and  that  the 
cotton-seed  did  best  on  light  land — notably  in  Greene  and 
Butler  counties.  The  reason  for  this  appears  to  be  that 
Nitrification   will    take  place  much  more   rapidly  in  light, 


Food    for 
Plants 


Without 
Manure. 


Brown    Cotton 

4  Cwt. 

Kainit. 


12  Tons  Farm 
Yard  Manure. 


4  Cwt.  Superphosphate 
2  Cwt.  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


2  Tons  of 
Poudrette. 


5  Cwt. 
Superphosphate. 


Abbasi    White    Cotton,    Lower    Egypt. 


[2  Tons  Yard 
Manure. 


4  Cwt. 
Kainit. 


Without 
Manure. 


5  Cwt. 

Superphosphate. 


2  Cwt. 

Nitrate  of  Soda. 


4  Cwt.  Superphosphate 
2  Cwt.  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Results    on    Cotton    Grown    in    Lower   Egypt. 


warm,  sandy  soil  than   in   heavier  and  colder  soils,  so  that  Food   for 
the  plants  get  the  Nitrogen  more  quickly  on  the  sandy  soil  Plants 
than  on  the  other,  and  consequently  grew  better  and  pro-        ,!J9 
duced  larger  crops.      Kven  on  this  soil,  however,  it  is  best 
to  use  at  least  a  small  proportion  of  Nitrate. 

The  subject  of  the  best  fertilizers  for  Sugar  Beets 
sugar  beets  has  not  had  much  attention  as 
vet  in  this  country.  One  reason  for  this  is  that  the  beets 
have  been  grown  on  "new  soils"  that  were  capable  of  pro- 
ducing a  good  crop  of  beets  without  fertilizers,  but  the  time 
will  very  soon  come  when  beet  growers  will  have  to  use 
some  method  of  returning  fertility  to  their  soils,  and  it 
would  be  a  very  good  thing  for  every  grower  to  experiment 
with  fertilizers  to  ascertain  what  his  land  requires. 

The  manufacturers  who  buy  the  beets  have  thoroughly 
impressed  upon  the  growers  that  they  should  not  use 
Nitrogenous  manures,  as  these  are  supposed  to  reduce  the 
percentage  of  sugar  in  the  beets  while  they  greatly  increase 
the  quantity  of  beets  raised  per  acre.  It  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  large  quantities  of  manure  or  fertilizers  containing 
high  percentages  of  Nitrogen  ("ammonia")  do  have  the 
effect  of  producing  large  beets  with  but  little  more  sugar  in 
them  than  is  contained  in  a  smaller  beet  grown  without  the 
manure.  But  if  the  Nitrogen  applied  is  in  the  right' form  and 
is  not  used  in  quantities  out  of  proportion  to  the  phos- 
phoric acid  and  potash  applied  or  existing  in  the  soil,  this 
effect  is  not  produced,  while  the  yield  of  beets  per  acre  is 
greatly  increased  ;  the  percentage  of  sugar  is  not  reduced, 
but  sometimes  even  increased. 


Bennettsville,  S.  C,  R.  F.  D.,  April  11,  1903. 
Mr.  William  S.  Myers, 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

Dear  Sir — I  have  used  Nitrate  of  Soda  for  a  number  of 
vears;  it  has  no  equal  as  a  "Top  Dresser"  for  Cotton,  Corn 
and  small  Grain;  I  look  upon  it  as  a  necessity.  I  use  it  to 
Corn  at  the  "Lay-By"  ploughing  and  it  assures  a  good  crop 
as  a  rule.  I  can't  speak  too  highly  of  it. 
Yours  very  truly, 

B.   E.   Moore. 


— —Ml—- «— «»«-,«..—.—— 


Bennettsville,  S.  C,  R.  F.  D.,  No.  i,  April  17,  1903. 
Mr.  Wm.  S.   Myers, 

New  York. 
Dear  Sir — I  am  much  pleased  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  as 
a  "Top  Dresser;"  am  convinced  it  has  no  equal. 
Yours  very  truly, 

H.  S.   Grant. 

Bennettsville,  S.  C,  R.F.  D.,No.  1,  April  19, 1903. 
Mr.  Wm.  S.  Myers,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir — I  could  not  farm  without  Nitrate  of  Soda;  it 
has  no  superior  as  a  Top  Dresser.  I  have  used  it  for  years 
and  will  continue  its  use. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Excelsior  Seed  Farm, 

Per  C.  F.  Moore,  Proprietor. 

Bennettsville,  S.  C,  April  20,  1903. 
Mr.  Wm.  S.  Myers,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir — I  have  in  past  years  used  Nitrate  of  Soda 
as  a  Top  Dressing  for  Oats  and  Cotton,  also  used  in  around 
Corn,  and  am  satisfied  it  paid  me  well;  so  well  satisfied  with 
the  results  that  I  now  have  twenty  tons  to  put  to  this  year's 
crop.  Yours  very  respectfully, 

P.   L.   Breeden. 

Bennettsville,  S.  C,  April  21,  1903. 
Mr.  Wm.  S.  Myers,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir — As  a  Top  Dresser,  I  consider  Nitrate  of 
Soda  far  superior  to  anvthing  I  have  ever  used,  and 
especially  for  Corn  and  small  Grain. 

Yours  &c, 

A.   H.   Odom. 

Michigan  Experiments  on  Sugar  Beets  in  igoi. 

(Extract  from  Michigan  Bulletin  197,  Issued  February,  igo2. ) 

"  A  field  was  planned  to  test  the  effect  of  excessive 
amounts  of  each  of  the  various  fertilizing  elements  in  com- 
parison with  normal  applications  in  the  form  of  commercial 
and  home  mixed  fertilizers. 


A  standard  brand  of  commercial  fertilizers  was  selected  ^  for 
and  a  mixture  equal  in  fertilizing  value  to  250  pounds  was 
prepared.  This  required  32  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  25 
pounds  muriate  of  potash,  and  137  pounds  of  dissolved 
phosphate  rock.  The  six  plots  of  the  experiment  received 
applications  as  follows  : 
Plot  1. — Nothing. 

Plot  2. — 147  pounds  mixture  plus  24  pounds  Nitrate  Soda. 
Plot  3. — 147  pounds  mixture  plus   103   pounds  dissolved 

phosphate  rock. 
Plot  4.-147   pounds  mixture  plus   20  pounds  muriate  of 

potash. 
Plot  5. — 195  pounds  mixture. 
Plot  6. — 250  pounds  commercial  fertilizer. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  that  Plots  2,  3  and  4  re- 
ceived but  three-fourths  of  the  mixture  as  applied  to  Plot 
5  ;  the  other  fourth  being  supplied  by  doubling  the  amount 
of  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  respectively. 

The  yields  of  beets,  percentage  of  sugar,  and  pounds  of 
sugar  per  acre  are  given  in  the  following  table  : 

Yield  Percent.  Sugar 

Plot.  FERTILIZERS.  per  Acre.         .J^  per  Acre. 

Pounds.  Pounds. 

1  Nothing 16,793  15.98  2,709 

2  Excessive  Nitrate  Nitrogen 25,098  16.23  4>°83 

3  Excessive  Phosphoric  Acid 22,84.3  15-%S  3»621 

4  Excessive  Potash  21,817  J5-64  3,412 

5  Normal  Home  Mixture 18,900  17.04  3,220 

6  Commercial  Fertilizer 17,74°  1S66  *'778 

These  figures  show  decidedly  in  favor  of  increasing  the 
Nitrogen  content  of  the  sugar  beet  fertilizers.  Not  only  is 
the  yield  of  beets  greater,  but  the  percentage  of  sugar  is 
higher  where  an  excessive  amount  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  applied. 
The  marked  difference  in  yield  of  sugar  from  the  home 
mixed  fertilizer  over  the  commercial  fertilizer  suggests  the 
possibility  of  Nitrate  Nitrogen  being  superior  to  the  form 
of  Nitrogen  found  in  the  commercial  fertilizer. 

While  no  experiment  comparing  in  equal  quantities 
organic  Nitrate  and  ammonia  Nitrogen,  the  general  results 
so  far  favor  the  Nitrate. 

In  the  fertilizer  experiment  on  page  37,:;:  the  Nitrogen 
in  the  commercial  fertilizer  analyzing  2.24  per  cent,  am- 
monia was  undoubtedly  of  organic  origin.     The  results  trom 

♦Michigan  Bulletin  197,  issued  February,  1902. 


mmmma^emm 


mmmwmm 


Food   for  three  years'  experiments  show  a  yield  of  ao  per  cent,  more 
igar   from    Nitrate    Nitrogen    than   from    the  commercial 


Plants 


4~         fertilizer. 


Nitrate  Nitrogen  vs.  Ammonia  Nitrogen. 

This  experiment  has  been  in  progress  for  three  years. 
The  results  recorded  in  the  following  table  are  from  experi- 
ments in  three  different  fields  of  the  College  farm.  In 
every  case  the  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  applied  on  the 
compared  plots  were  identical.  The  quantity  of  Nitrate 
of  Soda  and  sulphate  ammonia  was  in  each  case  regulated 
according  to  the  ammonia  content  of  the  two  materials,  so 
calculated  that  the  same  quantity  of  Nitrogen  was  applied 
in  every  case  where  results  are  compared. 

The  following  is  a  fair  comparison  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
and  sulphate  ammonia  as  a  source  of  Nitrogen  for  sugar 
beets,  and  being  the  average  result  from  five  different  ex- 
periments conducted  for  three  years  in  succession,  and 
showing  a  yield  of  over  1 1  per  cent,  more  sugar  from  the 
Nitrate  than  from  the  ammonia  presents  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  the  superiority  of  the  former. 


Nitrate  Nitrogen. 

Ammonia  Nitrogen. 

CHARACTER   OF  SOIL 

Yield             Per          -   „„r 
of  Beets        cent.        S»      e 
per  acre,   i    Sugar.     v 

Yield           „Pefr 

Sugar 
per  acre. 

P  un  is. 

20,408 
20,136 

16,479 
18,789 
15,058 

Pounds. 

12.45     2>463 
13.19     2,6c6 

Pounds.    . 

19,387      12.68 
16,412      12.44 

Pounds. 
2,459 

2,041 

3  Sandy  loam   (complete  fertilizer). 

4  Same  as  3  plus  (one  ton  lime).  . 

5  Sandy  loam  (as  single  elements). . 

14.09 

13-43 
13.29 

2,323 

2,524 
2,003 

15,899 

i5>57* 
13,916 

14.19     2,255 
13.19     2,176 
13.19     1,837 

Average  sugar  per  acre.  .  .  . 

2,394 

!  *»i54 

In  Germany  and  France,  where  beet  sugar  raising  is 
much  more  largely  and  successfully  carried  on  than  in  this 
country,  the  benefit  of  using  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  thoroughly 
understood  and  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  sugar  beet  grow- 
ing is  conducted  with  greater  success  than  in  this  country. 

The  principal  points  to  be  remembered  when  using 
Nitrate  on  sugar  beets  are  : 

First — The  Nitrate  should  be  applied  early —  either  be- 
fore or  shortly  after  the  beets   come  up — and  the  quantity 


applied  should  not  be  more  than  200  pounds  per  acre  ;  on 
wet  land  100  to  1  50  pounds  per  acre  is  enough. 

Second — Be  sure  that  there  is  enough  phosphoric  acid 
and  potash  in  the  soil.  To  do  this,  apply  superphosphate 
("dissolved  bone-black"  or  "acid  phosphate")  and  sulphate 
of  potash  before  sowing  the  seed. 

Third — The  beets  should  stand  thickly  in  rows  so  that 
the  Nitrate  will  not  make  them  grow  too  large. 

When  these  conditions  and  directions  are  complied  with, 
a  large  increase  in  the  yield  of  beets  may  be  expected  with- 
out any  reduction  in  the  percentage  of  sugar  in  them. 

The  reason  that  Nitrate  is  the  best  form  of  Nitrogen  to 
use  is  because  it  is  perfectly  soluble  and  at  once  available 
to  the  plants  when  they  most  need  it,  in  the  early  stages  of 
their  growth,  while  other  forms  of  Nitrogen,  such  as  dung, 
animal  refuse,  cotton-seed  meal  and  sulphate  of  ammonia, 
are  only  slowly  converted  into  available  form  (Nitrate), 
and  thus  furnishing  Nitrogen  to  the  plants  in  the  latter  part 
rather  than  the  beginning  of  their  growth,  which  delays 
ripening  and  development  of  sugar  in  the  beets. 

The  effect  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  to  give  the  young  beet 
a  good  start,  and  soon  being  used  up,  allows  the  beets  to 
ripen  early  and  with  the  greatest  development  of  sugar. 

The  great  and  growing  interest  now  NJtrate  of  Soda 
taken  in  the  subject  of  raising  beet  sugar  in  for  Sugar  Beets# 
this  country  makes  the  use  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda  on  this  crop  of  special  interest,  for  it  is  only  by  the 
judicious  use  of  this  fertilizer  that  we  can  hope  to  compete 
with  the  best  growers  of  Europe  who  have  long  profited 
by  its  use.  Dr.  Maercker,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
authorities  on  sugar  beet  growing  in  Germany,  says,  in  his 
work,  "  Profitable  Cultivation  of  the  Sugar  Beet :" 

"It  is  generally  speaking  impossible  to  grow  sugar  beets  with  profit  with- 
out supplying  them  in  a  judicious  manner  with  easily  assimilable  Nitrogenous 
food,  and  that,  best  of  all,  in  the  form  of  Nitrate  of  Soda.  Of  all  our  crops 
the  beet  is  the  one  whose  requirements  in  Nitrogen  are  the  greatest  ;  it  is 
capable  of  taking  up  Nitrogen  in  far  greater  quantities  than  are  usually  supplied 
to  it,  and  there  are  in  this  respect  scarcely  any  limits  to  the  increase  of  the 
yield. 

******  ** 

"In  the  first  place,  the  question  suggests  itself  :  Why  cannot  we  dispense 
with  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  ;  and  has  it  such  special  properties  that  it  is 
indispensable  as  food  for  the  sugar  beet  ?      The  reply   to  this  is  :      Yes,   in 


Food    for 
Plants 


Food    for   certain  circumstances  we  could  employ  other  Nitrogenous  manures  with  good 

Plants   results  ;  but  no  one  of  them  comes  up  to  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  its  effects.      The 

44  conditions  of  the  nutrition  of  plants  are  such  that  they  give  the  preference  to 

Nitrate  as  a  Nitrogenous  food,  and  with  no  other  Nitrogenous  food  are  they 

able  to  yield  crops  in  any  way  worthy  to  be  named. 

"The  conversion  of  ammonia  into  Nitrates  is  not  completed  in  the  soil 
all  at  once,  but  is  brought  about  by  the  growth  and  nourishment  of  small  or- 
ganisms, and  this  process  requires  a  certain  time  ;  I  cannot  say  how  long  it 
occupies,  but  some  lapse  of  time  always  takes  place  before  the  last  of  the  am- 
monia in  the  soil  is  converted  into  Nitrate.  But  as  the  beet  is  quite  unable 
to  consume  ammonia,  and  can  only  live  on  Nitrate,  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  an 
agricultural  sin  of  omission  not  to  place  at  its  disposal  at  the  outset  the  quantity 
of  Nitrogen  necessary  for  its  first  development  in  the  form  of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 
"For  this  first  development,  which  I  repeat  once  more,  must  in  the  case 
of  the  sugar  beet  proceed  rapidly  and  healthily,  /  hold  the  application  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  in  certain  quantities  to  be  quite  indispensable ;  so  that  it  may 
with  truth  be  said  that  without  Nitrate  of  Soda  the  profitable  cultivation 
of  the  sugar  beet  cannot  at  the  present  time  be  carried  on  at  a//." 

This  is  the  opinion  of  a  man  who  has  thoroughly- 
studied  the  raising  of  sugar  beets  for  many  years  where  it 
is  most  successfully  carried  on.  The  conditions  are  prac- 
tically the  same  in  this  country,  and  every  grower  should 
realize  the  significance  of  the  remark  and  acquaint  himself 
with  the  use  of  Nitrate  on  sugar  beets. 

Nitrate  should  be  used  only  in  connection  with  super- 
phosphate and  potash,  and  should  be  applied  early  in  the 
growth  of  the  beet — as  soon  after  they  come  up  the  better  ; 
200  to  300  pounds  of  Nitrate  per  acre  is  about  the  quantity 
that  should  be  used.  About  300  pounds  of  superphosphate 
and  100  pounds  of  sulphate  of  potash  should  be  applied 
per  acre  before  sowing  the  seed. 

_.,  ~  The  proper   fertilization   of  these  fruits  is 

Plums,  Prunes  F     r  .    ,     ,      c  c     -Vi.  .1 

.  .      .  very  important.     A  lack  or  fertility  in  the 

and  Apricots.  •.    •  j  .  1    _     ..u  a 

soil    is  more    detrimental    to   the   size  and 

quality    of  the    fruit    than   to    the    quantity    borne  by    the 

trees.      This  is  especially  true  when  there  is  an  insufficient 

amount  of  Nitrogen    in  the  soil. 

The  following   table   shows   the  amount  of   Nitrogen, 

phosphoric  acid  and  potash  removed  from  an  acre  of  ground 

by  an  average  crop  of  the  fruits  named  : 

Nitrogen.  Phosphoric  Potash, 

lbs.  Acid.    lbs.  lbs. 

Grapes,  crop  of  10,000  lbs 17  15  50 

Prunes,  crop  of   30,000  lbs 45  16  80 

Apricots,  crop  of  30,000  lbs 69  21  84 


It  will  be  noticed  that  while  a  crop  of  prunes  takes  ¥ood  for 
practically  no  more  phosphoric  acid  from  the  soil  than  a 
crop  of  grapes,  yet  the  amount  of  Nitrogen  removed  is  4o 
nearly  three  times  as  much,  and  in  the  case  of  apricots  over 
four  times  as  much  as  required  by  grapes.  It  is  evident 
that  a  few  crops  of  plums  or  apricots  will  materially  reduce 
the  amount  of  Nitrogen  in  the  soil,  which  is  usually  de- 
ficient to  start  with  and  therefore  this  element  of  plant  food 
must  be  replenished  or  the  fruit  will  soon  deteriorate  in  size. 
Mr.  E.  Petrie  Hovle,  who  has  150  acres  of  prunes  and 
apricots  in  Orange  county,  California,  says  : 

"In  my  experiments  and  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  I  find  that  to  apply 
Nitrate  when  the  fruit  is  set  and  half  grown  is  best.  If  the  top  of  the 
ground  is  dry  then  cultivate  it  in.  I  used  some  Nitrate  on  nearly  full  grown 
Apricots,  cultivating  it  in,  and  the  effect  was  to  enlarge  the  fruit  so  much 
that  people  who  saw  them  thought  they  were  Moorparks  instead  of  Royals. 

"Nitrate  doubled  the  number  of  melons  on  the  vines  and  in  no  way 
affected  their  quality.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Apricots.  Prunes  made 
larger  fruit,  but  I  applied  too  early  to  get  best  results.  Time  to  apply 
should  be  when  fruit  is  half  grown,  and  cultivate  in  to  get  the  Nitrate  mixed 
with  the  moist  soil." 

Unless  it  is  known  that  there  is  sufficient  Quantjtjes 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash  in  the  soils,  dis-   ReqUjre(j  an(j 
solved  bone   (superphosphate    of   lime)   or  Time  tQ  Appjy- 
bone  meal,  and  if  necessary  to  furnish  pot- 
ash, muriate  of  potash  or  wood  ashes  should  be  applied  early 
in  the  winter  or  early  spring.     Two  or  three  pounds  of  bone 
and   (if  necessary)   one   pound    muriate    of  potash    or    ten 
pounds  unbleached  wood  ashes  per  tree  would  be  about  the 
right  quantities.     The   Nitrate  of  Soda  should  be  applied 
after  the  fruit  is  set  at  the  rate  of  2  to  2  ^  pounds  per  tree. 

It  is  important  that  the  fertilizers  should  be  well  mixed 
with  the  soil,  and  that  they  be  applied  not  close  to  the 
trunks  of  the  trees,  but  considerably  further  out  than  the 
branches  reach. 

After  investigating  the  requirements  of  p. 

the   fig,  Professor  George  E.  Colby,  of  the 
University  of  California  Experiment  Station,  says  : 

"The  Fig  leads  among  our  fruits  in  its  demand  upon  the  soil  for  this 
substance  (Nitrogen).  Thus  we  find  for  the  southern  localities  especially, 
the  same  necessity  of  early  replacement  of  Nitrogen  in  figs  and  stone  fruit  as 
for  Orange  orchards,  and  partly  for  the  same  reason,  viz.,  that  California 
soils  are  usually  not  rich  in  their  natural  supply  of  this  substance." 


Food   for  Nitrate  of  Soda  will  furnish  the  necessary   Nitrogen  in 

ants  its  most  available  form,  and  at  less  cost  than  any  other  ma- 
46  terial.  It  will  probably  be  best  to  use  in  addition  to  the 
Nitrate  an  equal  quantity  of  bone  meal  or  "  Dissolved 
Bone  "  (superphosphate),  say  two  pounds  of  each  per  tree 
applied  as  recommended  for  plums  and  apricots. 
Fertilizers  for      ^e   writer    has    taken    considerable  pains 

nMn„oc  „„j        to  ascertain   from   the  best  authorities  and 
Oranges  and  .     ,  ,         _  c    ,.„ 

Other  Citrus       Practlcal    growers     the    effect    of    different 
prui  fertilizing    materials   on    orange    trees    and 

fruit.     The    facts    obtained  seem    to  show 
that  the  following  results  are,  as  a  rule,  produced  : 

First — Phosphoric  acid  alone  produces  very  little  effect, 
either  on  the  growth  of  the  trees  or  fruit. 

Second — Nitrogen  produces  a  marked  effect  in  promo- 
ting good  growth  and  increasing  the  size  of  fruit ;  but  unless 
combined  with  phosphoric  acid  in  some  form,  tends  to  make 
the  fruit  too  large,  dry  and  puffy.  This  is  especially  true 
when  the  Nitrogen  is  applied  in  an  organic  form,  such  as 
cotton-seed  meal,  blood,  "tankage,"  etc. 

Third — The  best  fertilizer  seems  to  be  a  combination 
of  phosphoric  acid,  potash  in  the  form  of  sulphate,  or  wood 
ashes  and  Nitrogen  in  an  immediately  available  form,  such 
as  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

Fourth — That  the  Nitrate  should  be  applied  while  the 
fruit  is  small,  or  only  just  forming,  and  not  in  quantities  so 
large  that  an  excess  of  wood  growth  will  be  produced  and 
the  fruit  made  too  large  and  puffy. 

Mr.  G.  W.  Peck,  a  large  orange  grower  of  Orange 
county,  Florida,  says : 

"When  I  started  in  the  orange-growing  business  I  was  sure  that  there  was 
nothing  so  good  as  ground  bone,  for  the  Nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid  it 
contained,  so  I  used  it  in  large  quantities  with  sulphate  of  potash  to  make  a 
complete  fertilizer,  using  enough  bone,  as  I  thought,  to  supply  the  necessary 
quantity  of  Nitrogen.  The  bone  used  was  of  the  best  quality  and  finely 
ground,  but  although  it  is  several  years  since  it  was  applied,  the  trees  have  so 
far  been  unable  to  find  the  Nitrogen  that  the  dealer  said  was  there  and  that  the 
chemist  guaranteed.  I  now  use  Nitrate  of  Soda,  and  the  trees  find  it  as  well 
as  the  chemist,  and  thrive  and  bear  full  crops  that  show  very  much  less  dam- 
age from  red  spider  and  rust  mites  than  when  bone  was  used. 

"Until  quite  recently  the  old  orange  growers  used  to  tell  us  that  we  must 
give  the  trees  but  very  little  Nitrogen,  or  they  would  have  the  'die  bark'  and 
foot-rot,  which  may  be  true  if  too  much  is  used   from  animal  sources,   not 


properly  balanced  by  the  chemicals  needed  ;  but  I  have  failed  to  see  any  bad   Food    for 
results  from  the  use  of  a  well-balanced  mineral  fertilizer,  though  used  in   large  Plants 
quantities  with  six  to  eight  per  cent,  of  Nitrogen    (in  the  form  of   Nitrate  of       ~^ 
Soda). 

"Having  five  groves  of  bearing  oranges,  lemons  and  pomelo  (grape  fruit) 
trees,  which  I  have  fertilized  for  some  years  with  a  purely  mineral  fertilizer, 
composed  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  superphosphate  and  sulphate  of  potash,  which 
I  had  mixed  at  home,  all  of  these  surrounded  by  other  groves  on  similar  soil 
where  mixed  fertilizers  have  been  used  of  nearly  all  the  standard  brands, 
costing  from  five  to  twenty  dollars  per  ton  more  than  mine,  and  in  many 
cases  more  pounds  per  tree  used,  I  am  certainly  satisfied  with  the  comparison 
of  condition  of  the  trees  and  amount  and  quality  of  fruit.  Not  only  have  I 
my  groves  for  comparison,  but  in  different  parts  of  the  country  are  other 
groves,  where  the  same  materials  and  formula  have  been  used  at  my  sug- 
gestion, and  in  every  case  they  are  in  the  finest  condition  of  any  in  the 
neighborhood. 

"When  I  began  buving  materials  to  mix  my  own  fertilizers,  I  used  sul- 
phate of  ammonia  for  Nitrogen,  thinking  it  more  lasting  in  its  effects  than 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  but  recently  I  have  been  using  the  Nitrate  exclusively,  be- 
cause it  is  cheaper  per  unit  of  Nitrogen  than  the  sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  I 
can  see  no  appreciable  difference  in  the  result,  excepting  that  the  Nitrate  is 
quicker  in  its  action  upon  the  trees,  and  I  think  upon  the  whole  preferable  of 
the  two." 

Dr    E     W     Hilgard,  Director    of  the  What  is  Most 
Agricultural     Experiment     Station,      uni-  Neec}ed  in  Cali- 
versity  of   California,  in    a   paper    entitled   fornia  Soils 
"Fertilization  of  Orchards,"   after  showing 
that  there  is  an  abundance  of  lime  in   nearly  all   California 
soils,  says : 

"Now  we  are  usually  aiming  to  supply  one,  if  not  two,  of  the  three  in- 
gredients, potash,  phosphoric  acid  and  Nitrogen.  What  I  have  just  said  in 
reference  to  lime  in  California  soils,  investigations,  so  far  as  they  have  gone — 
and  they  have  not  extended  very  far  north  of  Sacramento — have  shown  that 
in  the  vast  majority  of  California  soils,  potash  is  not  an  ingredient  that  need  be 
supplied  at  the  present  time.  It  is  so  abundant  in  the  large  majority  of  soils 
that  when  the  soil  fails  to  produce  what  you  want,  the  presumption  is  not 
that  potash  is  lacking,  but  that  either  Nitrogen  or  phosphoric  acid  has  given 
out,  if  the  soil  is  otherwise  in  good  condition.  Now  this  conclusion  is  the 
result  of  several  hundred  examinations  of  California  soils  which  have  been 
made  at  the  central  station  at  Berkeley." 

Dr.  Hilgard  also  says  : 

"By  far  the  most  convenient,  and  at  present  certainly  the  cheapest  and  most 
available  source  of  Nitrogen  at  command  of  the  farmer  is  Nitrate  of  Soda, 
which  contains  about  sixteen  per  cent,  of  Nitrogen  in  its  most  effective  form. 
From  I  50  to  200  lbs.  per  acre  is  the  usual  dose." 


£     : 


. 


- 


LI  ~t 


^H    :- 


- 


: 

- 

. . .  -  -    -        - 

-  ■  . 

! 

- 
- 

! 

- 

] 

- 
- 


- 
-      ■ 

-    - 


-  : 

-  rrrs. 


;  :     - 

- 


! 


_: 
x 


: 
-  :  : 


r  l:  ; 


- 

.  -  r 

: 

::: 

_ 

:  ?^5 '.       "_".;■-"-- 


-:•:>:       :  ' 


_ 


_i        -        - 


2 


z     _ 


Food    for 
Plants 


Profitable  Onion  Cultivation. 

„    There    is    no   crop   that    can    be  grown    so 
Adaptability  of    successfully  on    a    ]arge    scalej    on    such  a 

,,es  .?10D  t0  variety  of  soils,  under  such  varied  climatic 
conditions,  and  that  will  respond  more  pro- 
fitably to  intelligent  cultivation  and  fertilizing,  than  the 
onion;  and  while  in  the  past  the  American  farmer  has 
usually  been  willing  to  leave  the  growing  of  this  savory 
vegetable  almost  entirely  to  the  enterprising  foreigner  who 
has  emigrated  to  this  country,  he  has  at  the  same  time  very 
often  seen  that  thrifty  cultivator  make  more  net  profit  at 
the  end  of  the  season  from  his  five  or  six  acres  of  onions 
than  the  average  farmer  makes  at  general  farming  on  his 
100-acre  farm.  And  now  that  the  advent  of  the  weeder 
and  the  improved  wheel  hoe,  together  with  a  more  intelli- 
gent understanding  of  their  use,  has  made  it  comparatively 
easy  to  care  for  the  crop  there  is  no  reason  why  the  pro- 
gressive farmer  who  is  looking  about  for  a  New  Money 
Crop,  i.  e.y  one  that  will  give  handsome  returns  for  any 
extra  care  and  study  given  it  should  not  raise  onions  with 
ease  and  profit. 

We  will  consider  here  the  growing  of  onions  only  as  a 
field  crop  for  the  fall  and  winter  market,  with  a  few  notes 
on  their  culture  as  practiced  successfully  throughout  New 
York,  Ohio  and  Michigan,  although  the  onion  can  be 
successfully  grown  anywhere  in  the  United  States  where 
other  vegetables  thrive. 

The  reason  that  onions  have  not  been  more  generally 
grown  by  farmers  is  in  the  mistaken  idea  that  it  is  impossible 
to  grow  them  without  the  application  of  vast  quantities  of 
stable  manure,  but  we  have  learned  that  onion  growing  with 
the  aid  of  chemical  fertilizers  is  not  only  much  cheaper,  but 
the  average  crop  grown  is  much  larger ;  the  excessive 
quantity  of  stable  manure  required  to  grow  a  maximum 
crop  militating  against  the  chance  of  a  good  crop  by  tending 
to  make  the  land  open,  when  the  great  secret  of  onion 
culture  is  to  get  the  land  solidified. 

Besides,  the  ploughing  under  of  so  much  bulky  manure 
tends  to  cut  off  the  moisture  supply  from  below,  which  is 
so  important  in  the  quick  growth  of  crops  of  this  nature  and 


which  can   only  be  obtained   by  having  the  soil  very   com-  Food   for 
pact  and  in  fine  tilth  so  as  to  promote  the  capillary   move-  Plants 
ment  of  the  soil   moisture  to  the  surface,  where  it  may   be 
retained  for  the   use  of  the  crop  by  means  of  frequent  and 
shallow  cultivation. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  fact  the  advantage  of  using 
Nitrate  of  Soda  instead  of  stable  manure  as  the  source  of 
Nitrogen  for  this  crop  is  plainly  evident,  as  the  Nitrate 
supplies  the  most  beneficial  and  important  ingredient  con- 
tained in  the  stable  manure  (Nitrogen),  and  in  a  form  in 
which  it  is  not  dependent  upon  soil  bacteria  and  weather 
conditions  to  make  it  available  for  the  young  plants  when 
thev  need  it  most.  If  it  be  necessary  to  add  humus  to  the 
soil  in  the  shape  of  stable  manure  it  should  be  applied  to 
the  crop  preceding  whenever  possible. 

Considering   the  fact  that    Nitrogen   is    Character  of 
the  element  most  frequently   lacking  in  our    pja  t  pood  pe. 
soils,  and  knowing  that  the  onion  responds         ired  by  the 
most  liberally  to  a  plentiful  feeding  of  am-    Qnion 
moniate  fertilizers  it  would  seem  conclusive 
that  it  is  to    our  interest  to   see  that  the  plant  has  a  liberal 
supplv  of  that  element  and  in  the  best  possible  form,  which 
is  undoubtedly  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

We  know  that  if  a  young  pig  or  calf  does  not  have  an 
abundance  of  the  right  kind  of  food  when  it  is  young  it  be- 
comes stunted  in  growth  and  never  recovers  from  it,  no 
matter  how  judiciously  it  is  afterwards  fed.  The  intelligent 
cultivator  has  learned  that  the  same  rule  holds  good  in  the 
feeding  of  plants  ;  hence  the  great  importance  of  an  imme- 
diately available  supply  very  early  in  the  season  just  as  the 
plant  is  starting  growth,  and  at  which  time  it  can  only  be 
obtained  from  an  application  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  since  the 
Nitrogen  in  other  ammoniates  and  from  organic  sources 
does  not  become  available  until  later  in  the  season  after  the 
soil  has  warmed  up  to  a  temperature  of  70  deg.  or  more 
Fahrenheit. 

By  having  a  supply  of  available  Nitrate  at  once  the 
plant  starts  off  with  a  good  healthy  root  growth,  which  en- 
ables it  better  to  take  up  the  other  and  more  complex 
food  elements  as  they  become  available  throughout  the 
season. 


Food  for  it  is  on}y  by  thoughtful  and  painstaking  study  of  the 

Plants  needs  of  his  different  crops  that  the  farmer  is  enabled  to  feed 
54         them  so  as  to  obtain  maximum  crops  at  the  lowest  cost  per 
acre  or  per  ton  of  product. 

In  a  general  way  it  may  prove  of  interest  to  the  reader 
to  reflect  on  the  following : 

If  it  cost  $45.00  per  acre  for  rent,  ploughing,  harrowing, 
seeding,  weeding  and  cultivating  to  produce  a  crop  of  onions 
ready  to  harvest^  then 

The  crop  of  225  bushels  per  acre  costs  20  cts.  per  bushel. 
The  crop  of  450  bushels  per  acre  costs  10  cts.  per  bushel. 
The  crop  of  900  bushels  per  acre  costs      5   cts.    per  bushel. 

The  latter  yield  is  not  at  all  unusual  when  the  crop  is 
properly  fed  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  supplementary 
chemical  fertilizers. 

In  the  first  place,  the  onion,  contrary  to  the  general  be- 
lief, does  not  require  any  special  kind  of  soil,  such  as  muck, 
black  sand,  etc.,  but  will  do  almost  equally  as  well  on  any 
good  corn  or  potato  soil,  provided  it  is  not  so  stony  as  to 
interfere  with  the  cultivation  of  the  crop  when  young,  and 
is  capable  of  being  worked  into  fine  tilth  on  the  surface  so 
as  to  satisfactorily  cover  the  seed  in  order  that  they  may 
germinate  evenly  and  quickly. 

Even  though  a  field  is  somewhat  stony,  if  otherwise 
suitable,  it  will  pay  to  rake  the  stones  into  the  dead  fur- 
rows (which  should  not  be  more  than  twenty  feet  apart) 
with  a  hand  rake,  as  the  stones  would  make  it  impossible 
to  do  good  work  with  the  weeder  and  wheel  hoe  when  culti- 
vating the  crop. 

c        In  selecting  your  field  for  onions  it  is,  of 
Necessity  of        _ ,  f '  {,    _  „u«™  ™  +unt.  :„  i;i^i„ 


Moisture  in 
Soil. 


course,  advisable  to  choose  one  that  is  likely 
to  be  affected  as  little  as  possible  in  the 
event  of  a  severe  drought,  and  it  is  for  this 
reason  that  onions,  cabbage  and  those  crops  that  especially 
require  large  quantities  of  moisture  during  their  growth  are 
usually  grown  upon  bottom  lands.  In  fact,  it  is  next  to 
impossible  to  raise  a  money  crop  of  any  kind  unless  we  can 
have  a  fairly  good  supply  of  moisture  at  the  right  time, 
which  is  when  the  plant  is  making  its  strongest  growth  ; 
therefore  it  is  important  that  we  treat  our  soilj  from  the 
start  with  that  object  in  view,  viz.,  to  conserve  an  adequate 


supply  of  moisture  for  the  plant  to  draw  upon  during  the 
season  of  dry  weather  which  we  invariably  have  during 
July  and  August. 

Ploughing    for    the  onion  crop    should  Cultivation, 

preferably  be  done  in  the  fall  and  to  the 
depth  of  eight  inches  or  more,  leaving  the  soil  in  the  furrow 
to  be  acted  upon  by  the  frost  during  the  winter,  and  at  the 
same  time  becoming  more  compact — the  onion  likes  a  solid 
seed  bed.  When  for  any  reason  the  ploughing  has  to  be 
done  in  the  spring  it  should  be  done  very  early  and  worked 
down  solid.  The  lands  should  be  narrow,  so  that  the 
numerous  dead  furrows  will  drain  off  any  excessive  surface 
moisture  early  in  the  spring,  as  it  is  desired  to  get  the  seed 
sown  as  early  as  possible. 

As  soon  as  the  condition  of  the  soil  will     pree  yse  Qf  the 
permit  in  the  spring  it  should  be  worked     Harrow  ancj 
over    with     the    harrow    or    pulverizer    as     puiverizert 
deeplv  as  the  ground  will  allow  and  rolled 
with  a  heavy  roller,  which  should  be  followed  at  once  with 
a  light  harrow,  which  will  loosen  the  surface  soil  and  form  a 
light  mulch  to  help  conserve  the  moisture.     This  operation 
should  be  repeated  each  week  until  it  is  time  to  sow  the  seed, 
which  should  be  sown  in  this  latitude  when   the  apple  trees 
begin  to  bloom. 

The  seed  should  be  sown  with  a  hand  seed  drill  sowing 
about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  deep  and  in  rows  about 
fifteen  inches  apart,  sowing  about  six  pounds  of  seed  per 
acre.  (The  variety  depending  on  the  requirements  of  your 
prospective  market,  also  on  the  behavior  of  different 
varieties  when  grown  in  your  locality.) 

In  about  five  days  after  the  seed  is  sown  the  field  should 
be  gone  over  with  the  weeder  to  destroy  any  weeds  that 
have  started  to  germinate  near  the  surface,  and  again  in 
three  or  four  days  or  before  the  onions  come  up,  always 
going  across  the  rows  with  the  weeder. 

After  the  onions  are  up  so  that  you  can  see  the  rows 
you  can  take  the  wheel  hoe  and  carefully  cultivate  the  rows, 
using  the  sharp  blades  that  are  made  for  that  purpose  and 
CToiny;  not  more  than  one-half  inch  deep. 

As  soon  as  any  more  weeds  appear  to  be  germinating  in 
the  rows  go  over  again  with  the  weeder.  The  weeder  may 
appear  to  be  doing  some  damage,  but  if  handled  caremlly 


Food    for 
Plants 


Food  for  there  is  no  danger,  as  we  have  sown  an  extra  pound  of  seed 
Plants  to  allow  for  some  being  pulled  out. 

56  When  the  onions  are  about  four  inches  high  it  will  prob- 

ably be  necessary  to  go  through  and  weed  them  once  by  hand, 
but  which  will  prove  to   be  a  not  very  tedious  job  if  the 
weeder  and  wheel  hoe  have  been  used  with  good  judgment. 
.  In  fertilizing,  the  Nitrate  should  be  applied 

Fertilizing.  as  fo]lows  .     Qne  hundred  pounds  scattered 

broadcast  over  the  field  within  a  week  after  the  seed  is  sown 
and  before  the  plants  break  through  the  ground,  and  two 
more  broadcast  applications  of  ioo  pounds  each  at  intervals 
of  two  or  three  weeks,  depending  somewhat  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  plots  as  to  growth,  color,  etc. 

.  ,  Generallv  speaking  the  Nitrate  should  all 
When  to  Apply  be  j.^  5uring5May  and  june5  except 
Nitrate.  that  in  a  ver^7  ^  time  -m  juj^  ^  the  onions 

should  show  signs  of  turning  yellow  at  the  tips,  an  extra 
dressing  of  50  pounds  per  acre  may  be  applied  to  advantage. 
In  a  wet  season  it  is  well  to  avoid  putting  it  on  late  in  the 
growth  of  the  crop,  as  it  might  aggravate  the  tendency  to 
produce  a  considerable  number  of  thick-necked  onions,  or 
scullions,  which  sometimes  happens  in  a  wet  season. 

Nitrate  is  usually  in  a  finely  pulverized  condition,  but 
if  lumpy  from  anv  cause  it  may  easily  be  fined  by  emptying 
it  on  the  barn  floor  and  crushing  the  lumps  with  the  back 
of  a  shovel  or  similar  tool.  In  applying  it  broadcast  to 
growing  crops,  especially  those  having  a  large  leaf  surface 
like  cabbage,  it  should  be  done  when  the  plants  are  not  wet 
with  rain  or  dew,  for  if  very  much  should  adhere  to  the 
leaves  it  might  injure  them. 

r  The   onion    is   also  an  alkali-loving    plant, 

Use  otum-      an^     Hke    asparaguS)    seems    to     have    a 

mon  bait.  peculiar  fondness  for  salt ;  and  the  results 

of  experiments  on  widely  different  soils  shows  that  it  nearly 
always  responds  profitably  to  an  application  of  about  200 
pounds  of  salt  per  acre.  This  guides  us  to  the  choice  of 
kainit  for  this  crop,  as  that  product  contains  about  3  5  per 
cent,  of  chloride  of  soda  or  common  salt,  which  also  has  a 
value  for  conserving  moisture  in  the  soil  during  a  dry 
season.  Some  little  judgment  must  be  used  here,  however, 
as  the  kainit  might  have  a  harmful  effect  in  a  wet  season  on 
a  low  and  naturally  damp  soil. 


About  400  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre  should  be  used  on  Food 


P01 


entire 


an  ordinary  soil,  and  it  should  be  drilled  into  the 
surface  of  the  ground  the  first  thing  in  the  spring  and  at 
least  three  inches  deep,  as  the  kainit  becomes  fixed  in  the 
soil  very  quickly  and  should  be  rather  deep,  so  as  not  to 
attract  the  feeding  roots  too  near  the  surface.  In  case 
wood  ashes  or  muriate  should  be  used  instead  of  kainit  the 
time  of  making  the  application  should  be  the  same. 

In  the  light  of  recent  investigations  at  the  Rhode 
Island  Experiment  Station  and  elsewhere  it  has  been  shown 
that  most  of  the  vegetable  crops  will  give  greatly  increased 
returns  from  the  use  of  chemicals  if  lime  is  used  in  con- 
junction with  them,  and  the  facts  seem  to  confirm  what  has 
been  observed  of  late  by  many  large  practical  growers 
throughout  the  country. 

An  application  of  75  bushels  per  acre  of  ground  quick- 
lime has  also  proved  beyond  question  its  efficiency  as  a 
preventive  of  onion  smut  ;  however,  if  the  onions  have 
been  kept  in  a  healthful  growthy  condition  with  a  sufficient 
amount  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  we  need  have  no  fear  of  smut 
or  any  other  fungous  disease. 

Nevertheless  there  is  a  hint  in  regard     yse  0f  Thomas 
to  the  best  source  from  which  to  obtain  the    g.      an(J  ^ 
phosphoric  acid  for   our  onions,  and  it  is    ^jme 
plain  that  we  must  be  guided  by  the  charac- 
ter of  the  soil  in  which  we  are  to  grow  them.     For  instance, 
if  it  is  a  strong,  deep  soil,  rich  in   humus  and  with  an  ex- 
cessive quantity  of  organic  matter,  it  is  quite  probable  that 
•it  is  deficient  in  lime  and  we  know  that  on  these  muck  soils 
basic  slag  if  very  finely  ground  seems  to  give  better  results 
usually  on  most  crops  except  the  peas  and  clovers  than  the 
readilv  available  acid  rock,  which  may  be  accounted  for  in 
the  fact  that  the  basic  slag  contains  from  40  to  50  per  cent, 
of  lime,  which  is  so  necessary  in  this  sort  of  soil  to  neutralize 
the  excess  of  organic  acids  present  and  which  are  otherwise 
detrimental  to  plant  growth. 

Whereas  if  our  soil  is  a  medium  heavy  clay  upland  we 
know  it  is  best  to  use  the  acid  rock  which  contains,  besides 
the  phosphoric  acid,  about  50  per  cent,  of  calcium  sulphate 
(gypsum)  which  reacts  upon  the  silicates  of  potash  and 
aluminum  in  the  clay  soil,  forming  sulphate  of  potash  and 
thereby  unlocking  the  natural  potash  in  the  soil. 


Plants 


Food  for  The     clay    soil    probably    does     not     contain     enough 

Plants  moisture  and  decaying  vegetable  matter  to  make  the  phos- 
68  phoric  acid  in  the  basic  slag  available,  so  it  would  be  folly 
to  attempt  to  use  it  there  ;  while  the  acid  rock  would  not 
give  as  good  results  on  the  black  soil  as  the  slag,  although 
the  cost  is  greater.  The  quantity  of  either  to  apply  on 
ordinary  soils  is  1,000  pounds  per  acre  very  early  in  the 
spring,  so  that  in  fitting  the  ground  it  will  become  very 
thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil  before  the  onion  seed 
is  sown. 

The  following  table  gives  the  actual  field  results  of  six 
years'  experiments  with  fertilizers  and  seven  years  with 
manures  at  the  rate  of  30  tons  per  acre  : 

Manure.  Chemicals. 

Tons  per  acre,  average 8.90  14.02 

Market  value  per  ton,  average $18.16  $20.52 

The  crop  grown  with  chemical  fertilizers  was  5.12  tons 
greater  per  acre,  a  gain  over  the  stable  manure  of  nearly  58 
per  cent.;  while  the  Nitrate  crop  averaged  $2.36  greater 
market  value  per  ton,  an  advance  over  the  manure-grown 
crop  of  13  percent.  The  chemical  fertilizers  proved  much 
superior  to  the  stable  manure,  though  the  latter  contained 
much  more  plant  food,  as  the  following  table  shows  : 

Chemicals.  Stable  Manure. 

Ammonia  as  Nitrate 60  lbs.  360  lbs. 

Phosphoric  acid 130  lbs.  1  50  lbs. 

Potash 5°  lbs-  3+°  lbs- 

Thus  proving  that  the  onion  will  thrive  on  a  much' 
smaller  amount  of  actual  plant  food  when  it  is  supplied  in 
an  immediately  available  form. 


Stable  Manure  and  Artificial  Fertilizer 
Upon  Fruit  Trees. 

In  this  country  the  manuring  or  fertilizing  of  fruit 
plantations  is  very  commonly  neglected,  but  in  Europe 
fruit  trees  are  as  regularly  treated  with  plant  food  as  staple 
crops.  According  to  the  investigations  of  Professor 
Barth-Colmar  and  Dr.  Steglich,  Dresden,  the  wood,  foliage 


and  fruit  of  apple,  pear,  cherry  and  bush  fruits  consume  Food  for 
yearly  per  square  yard  of  surface  shaded  by  the  tree  or  bush, 
219  grains  of  Nitrogen,   65  grains  of  phosphoric  acid,  and 
284  grains  of  actual  potash;  equivalent  to  fertilizer  chemi- 
cals as  follows  : 

Nitrate  of  Soda  per  square  yard 3.5  ounces. 

Acid   Phosphate  per  square  yard 1.5  ounces. 

Muriate  Potash  per  square  yard .  .  .  .  , 1.5  ounces. 

Except    on     high-priced    land    garden    Amoum  of  Ra_ 
crops  should  not  be  grown  in  orchards,  but      .      ^  p\am 
where  this  custom  is  followed  the  quantity     pQod  ^  Qne 
of  plant  food  should  be  increased  to  suit    jrQQ 
the    needs     of   the   additional    crop    to    be 
grown.      For  fruit  alone  apply  between  the  fall  of  the  leaf 
and  the  bursting  of  the  buds,  per  square  yard  of  surface 
shaded    by   the   tree,  the   quantities  of  plant    food    shown 
above  to  be  the  actual  needs  of  the  crop.     If  the  trees  have 
made  a  weak  growth  the  previous  season,  or  have  heavily 
fruited,  applv  between    May  and  July  about  one  ounce  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  per  square  yard  of  surface  ;  this  in  addition 
to  the  previously  applied  plant  food. 

The  practical  effect  of  artificial  manures  for  fruit  cannot 
be  denied,  not  only  for  quantity,  but  also  for  the  quality  of 
the  crop.  Stable  manures  seem  to  fail  of  regular  bountiful 
results,  probablv  because  the  stable  manure  supplies  its 
ammonia  in  the  Nitrated  form  very  irregularly,  and  fruit 
trees  can  use  ammonia  plant  food  only  in  the  Nitrated  form. 
Practical  figures  showing  the  profitableness  of  artificial  ma- 
nures, fertilizers,  have  been  shown  by  many  experiments, 
particularly  by  those  conducted  at  Feldbrunnen,  near 
Osterode,  Germany. 

The  rational  fertilization  of  fruit  trees  depends  somewhat 
upon  their  period  of  growth  ;  young  trees  need  ample  sup- 
plies of  Nitrated  ammonia  and  potash  to  develop  and  ripen 
new  wood.  Later,  at  the  bearing  age,  phosphoric  acid  and 
Nitrated  ammonia  are  required  for  the  formation  of  fruiting 
buds.  These  two  phases  in  the  making  of  an  orchard  should 
have  due  consideration  and  plant  food  used  accordingly. 

Apples.  Cherries.  Plums. 

Unfertilized 100  lbs.      100  lbs.      100  lbs. 

Fertilized 3>42°  lbs-      2l8  l°s-      329  lbs- 


Food  for  How  Big  Crysanthemums  are  Made. 

— w —  According  to  American  Gardenings  Vol.  XXI.,  No.  313, 

one  of  the  most  effective  methods  of  producing  the  big 
blooms  of  the  exhibition  rooms  is  to  apply  a  solution  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  containing  one  ounce  of  Nitrate  to  four 
gallons  of  water.  The  solution  is  used  only  on  established 
plants,  and  three  times  a  week  for  three  consecutive  weeks, 
followed  by  rest.  The  solution  is  not  used  after  the  buds  have 
formed. 


Market  Gardening  with  Nitrate. 

The  following  is  the  result  of  a  practical      Resuhs  in  an 
study  of  conditions  on  a  large  truck  farm,      Unfavorable 
near  New  York.      In  every  case  the  opera-      Qrowing  gea_ 
tions   of  the   farm   were  carried   out    on  a      gon  wJth  Low 
strictly  money-making  basis.     The  soil  is  a      prices  for 
heavy    clay    with  a  rather  intractable   clay      procjucts> 
subsoil,  decidedly  not  a  soil  naturally  suited 
to  growing  garden  crops.     The   weather   was  unfavorable, 
including   the  most  severe  drought  in  thirty    years;  from 
March  22d  to  July   8th  practically  no  rain  fell.      Owing  to 
the  unfavorable  season,  the  grade  of  garden  products  was 
low    causing    a    low    ruling   in    prices.      Details    by    crops 
follow  : 

Asparagus. 

The  bed  was  twenty  years  old,  and  had  been  neglected. 
As  soon  as  workable,  it  was  disc-harrowed,  and  later  smooth- 
harrowed  with  an  Acme  harrow.  Nitrate  of  Soda  was 
applied  to  the  three  test  plots  April  ioth,  200  pounds  per 
acre,  sown  directly  over  the  rows  and  well  worked  into  the 
soil.  A  second  application  of  100  pounds  per  acre  was 
made  to  plot  1  April  24th;  and,  on  the  29th,  a  third 
application  of  equal  amount. 

The  experiment  comprised  three  plots,  two  fertilized 
with  Nitrate  of  Soda,  and  one  without  Nitrate,  plot  3. 
Plots  1  and  2,  treated  with  the  Nitrate,  produced  marketable 
stalks  ten  days  in  advance  of  plot  3,  a  very  material  ad- 
vantage in  obtaining  the  high  prices  of  an  early  market. 
The  results  were  as  follows,  in  bunches  per  acre. 

Plot  and  Fertilizer.  Bunches  per  acre.  Gain. 

3.     No  Nitrate 56° 

2.     200  lbs.  Nitrate 680  1 20 

1 .     400  lbs.  Nitrate 840  280 

The  financial  results  are  as  follows,  prices  being  those 
actually  obtained  in  the  New  York  Markets  : 

Plot    I.  Plot   2.  Plot    3. 

Fertilizer,   Nitrate 400  lbs.  200  lbs        

Gross  receipts $207.90  $161.50        

Fertilizer  cost 8.40  4.20        

Applying  fertilizer 2.00  1.00        

Net  receipts 197-5°  161.50  $112.00 

Nitrate  made  gain.  . 85.50  44-3° 


Food    for 
Plants 


Food    for 
Plants 


The  use  of  400  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  produced  on 
plot  t  a  gain  of  $85.50  on  a  fertilizer  and  application  cost 
of  $10.40  ;  the  use  of  200  lbs.  of  Nitrate  returned  a  similar 
gain  of  $44.30  on  a  fertilizer  and  application  cost  of  $5.20. 
There  is  little  difference  between  the  per  cent,  of  gain  on 
the  two  plots,  but  the  evidence  is  conclusive  that  the  heavier 
application  was  very  profitable. 


Table  Beets 
Grown  on  Ni- 
trate were 
Ready  for  Mar- 
ket 16  Days 
Ahead  of  Un- 
fertilized Plots 

produce  mar 
applied  at  the 
cations. 


Table  Beets. 

The  crop  must  be  forced  to  quick 
growth  in  order  to  obtain  tender,  crisp 
vegetables,  always  quickly  salable  and  at 
good  prices.  Nitrate  of  Soda  was  com- 
pared with  unfertilized  soil,  with  the  re- 
sult that  on  the  Nitrated  plots,  marketable 
beets  were  pulled  56  days  from  seeding; 
the  unfertilized  plot  required  72  days  to 
ketable  vegetables.  Nitrate  of  Soda  was 
rate  of  500  pounds  per  acre,  in  four  appli- 


Beets. 


500  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  the  acre,  in  4  applications. 


No  Nitrate. 


Snap   Beans.  Food  for 

The  Beans  were  grown  for  pods,  or  what  is  known  as 
string  beans.  Two  varieties  were  experimented  with,  Chal- 
lenger black  wax,  and  the  Red  Valentine.  Seed  were  drilled 
in  with  a  machine,  May  ioth,  in  rows  two  feet  apart;  on  May 
22d,  ioo  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were  applied  per  acre,  and 
on  the  27th,  another  application  of  1  50  pounds  were  drilled 
in.  June  12th,  an  application  of  50  pounds  was  drilled 
along  the  rows,  followed  by  100  pounds  Increase  in 
June  19th  ;  in  all  400  pounds  of  Nitrate  of    c        and  Ret_ 

Soda    per    acre.      Half  the  field    was    not  /   <-\     t-. 

j      •  l    xt-  1        l  c  l  ter  Quality 

treated  with    Nitrate.      In    the  case  of  the  D       .     , 

111  1  1      xt-  j  1      1  Resulted  as 

black  wax  beans,  the   Nitrated  land  gave  a         „        c     . 

.    ,         .  '      ,  r    ,  &  well  as  Saving 

crop    6   davs   in    advance   or  the    part   not  .    ~,. 

r    ,      •  ,     ^T-  ,     ,  r  in  1  lme. 

treated    with    Nitrate,  and  the    same    gam 

was  made  by  the  Nitrated  Valentine  beans.     The  black  wax 

beans    treated  with   Nitrate  produced   75    per    cent,    more 

marketable    crop   than   the  not   Nitrated  portion,  and  the 

Valentine  variety  60  per  cent.     Taking  into  consideration 

the   enhanced    price  due    to  earlier  ripening,   the   average 

price  of  the  Nitrated  black  wax   beans   averaged   some   60 

per  cent,  higher  than  the  portion  of  the  field  not  treated  with 

Nitrate  of  Soda ;  in  like  manner,  the  increased  price  of  the 

Valentine  beans  was  45  per  cent. 

Early  Cabbage. 
The  cabbage  plots  were  thoroughly  worked  up,  and 
planted  to  Henderson's  Early  Spring  variety.  Part  of  the 
soil  was  treated  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  at  the  rate  of  575 
pounds  per  acre,  in  five  applications  ranging  ._.  r  ^ 
from  May  1st  to  June  17th.  The  part  of  ^SavedTmm 
the  plot  not  treated  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  was    ~  .  ,  c  .. 

1  r -i         l        n      •        l  1        Total  Failure. 

a  total  failure,  but  allowing  the  same  number 

of   plants   as  the   fertilized  portion,  and   also    allowing  for 

difference  in  price  on  account  of  later  ripening,  the  crop  on 

the  portion  not  treated  with  Nitrate  should     A  ^  ,,      c 

,       r  A  Dollar  Spent 

have  returned  a  gross  amount  of  ^292. 50.     jn  Nitrate  Re 

The    Nitrated    portion  returned    gross  re-    mrned 

ceipts     of    ^720,    from     which    deducting    in  Increased 

Si 9.50    for    fertilizer    and    application     of    ^ 

same,  we  have  $700.50  for  Nitrate  of  Soda 

as  compared  with  #292.50  without  Nitrate,  a  net  profit  for 


Food  for  rne  Nitrate  of  $408.     That  is,   for   every   dollar  spent  for 
Plants   Nitrate  0f  Soda,  the  crop  returned  an  additional  $21  nearly. 

64 

Celery. 

Crisp  stalks  of  rich  nutty  flavor  are  a  matter  of  rapid, 

unchecked  growth,    and    plant   food    must    be   present    in 

unstinted  quantity,  as  well  as  in  the  most  quickly  available 

form,  the  best  example  of  which  is  Nitrate  of  Soda.      The 

soil   was  plowed  early  in   May,  and  subsoiled,  thoroughly 

breaking  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  10  inches.      Thirty  bushels 

~             ,.  of  slaked  lime  were   broadcasted    per  acre 

Extraordinary  .           ,.      ,        c         .               r  11        j   t. 

p  immediately    alter  plowing,  followed    by  a 

rvciLirns  on  t        *          r                     c       1  i                         11 

P  .  dressing  or  20  tons  or  stable  manure  ;  all 

well  worked  into  the  soil.  Plants  were  set 
May  10th.  The  tract  was  portioned  into  three  tracts  for 
experimental  purposes  ;  plot  1  received  675  pounds  of  Ni- 
trate of  Soda  per  acre  in  six  applications,  May  1 6th,  22nd, 
June  1  st,  10th,  17th  and  24th.  Plot  2  received  475  pounds 
in  five  applications,  May  16th,  22nd,  June  1st,  17th  and 
24th.     Plot  3  was  not  treated  with  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

Plot  1  was  ready  for  market  July  6th,  and  was  all  off 
by  the  10th.  Plot  2  was  ready  for  market  July  nth  and 
was  all  harvested  by  the  14th.  Plot  3  was  practically  a 
failure  and  was  not  harvested.  Plot  1,  being  first  in  the 
market,  had  the  advantage  of  the  best  prices  ;  the  gross  re- 
ceipts were,  per  acre,  $957.80  ;  from  which  must  be  deducted 
1 1 8.67  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  the  application  of  same — a 
net  result  of  $939.13  per  acre.  Plot  2  gave  a  gross  return 
of  $676.30,  from  which  $13.72  must  be  deducted  for  ferti- 
lizer, leaving  $662.58  per  acre  net.  Plot  1  makes  therefore 
a  gain  of  $276.55  over  plot  2,  simply  from  the  earliness  in 
maturing,  due  to  the  heavy  applications  of  Nitrate,  for  the 
total  crop  was  approximately  the  same  for  both  plots. 
The  plot  not  Nitrated  gave  no  return. 

Cucumbers. 

Plants  were  set  in  box  frames  May  4th.  The  frames 
were  well  filled  with  rotted  manure,  and  were  banked  as  a 
protection  against  late  frosts.  A  portion  of  the  field  was 
treated  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  ;  on  May  10th  each  plant  was 
given  a  quart  of  a  solution  made  by  dissolving  three  pounds 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  50  gallons  of  water.     Applications  in 


quantity  the  same  were  made  on  the  experimental  plot  May  Food  for 
1 6th,  22nd,  29th,  June  3rd,  9th,  15th,  22nd  and  26th;  Plants 
making  a  total  of  165  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre. 
On  June  27th  the  experimental  plot  was  setting  fruit 
rapidly,  while  the  plot  not  Nitrated  was  just  coming  to 
bloom.  The  Nitrated  plot  was  given  on  June  29th  a  quart 
of  a  solution  made  by  dissolving  two  ounces  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda  in  a  gallon  of  water;  and  this  application  was  repeated 
July  3rd,  7th,  1  5th,  24th,  and  August  8th.  This  practically 
doubled  the  Nitrate  application. 

The  first  picking  on  the  Nitrated  plot  was     Gain  jn  T-me 
made  July    1st,  on  the  non-Nitrated   plot     -n  ^  q 
July  22nd,  when   prices  were  at  the  lowest     y         Remark- 
point.     After  the  early  market  season  was       ^     Two 
over,  the   vines  were  treated  for    pickling     ^egks  in  Ad- 
cucumbers,  the  Nitrated  plot  receiving  50     vance 
pounds   of   Nitrate   of  Soda    dissolved  in 
water  as  before  ;  later  two  applications  of  a  quart  each,  con- 
taining half  an  ounce  per  gallon.      The  result  was  that  the 
vines    continued    bearing  until   cut   down    by    frost.     The 
estimated  yields  were  as  follows:    Nitrated  plot,  per  acre, 
6,739  dozen,  plot  not  Nitrated  gave  per  acre  948  dozen. 

Sweet  Corn. 

The  crop  was  planted  on  rather  poor  soil.  Seed  was 
planted  May  4th,  and  the  cultivators  started  May  12th.  A 
portion  of  the  field  was  selected  for  experiment,  and  on  this 
75  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were  applied  per  acre  May 
20th,  drilled  close  to  the  row.  A  second  application  of  the 
same  amount  was  made  May  26th,  and  on  June  5th  a  third 
application.  On  June  17th  100  pounds  per  acre  were 
applied  and  cultivated  into  the  soil.  The  total  Nitrate 
applied  to  the  experimental  plot  amounted  to  325  pounds 
per  acre.  The  Nitrated  plot  ripened  corn  5  days  ahead  of 
the  non-Nitrated  portion,  and  produced  994  dozen  ears 
against  62 j  dozen  from  an  acre  not  treated  with  Nitrate  or 
Soda.  The  Nitrated  crop,  being  earlier  in  the  market, 
brought  better  prices  ;  the  gross  return  being  599.40  per 
acre  as  compared  with  S62.30  for  the  non-Nitrated  plot. 
The  cost  of  the  Nitrate  and  its  application  expenses 
amounted  to  59.75  Per  acre>  leaving  a  net  gain  from  the  use 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  of  S27.35  per  acre. 


Egg-Plant. 

The  plants  were  set  in  the  usual  manner,  part  of  the 
tract  being  treated  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  at  the  rate  of  475 
pounds  per  acre  to  observe  the  practical  value  of  the  Ni- 
trate for  forcing.  Before  setting,  the  plants  were  given  a 
light  application  of  Nitrate  in  solution.  June  1st  150 
pounds  were  applied,  on  the  tenth  this  was  repeated,  and  on 
June  22nd  a  third  application  was  made.  The  Nitrated 
plot  produced  marketable  fruit  July  5th,  the  non-Nitrated 
plot  did  not  reach  the  market  until  July  26th.  The  Ni- 
trated plot  produced  per  acre  33,894  fruits,  all  of  good  quality; 
the  non-Nitrated  plot  produced  only  8,7 12  fruits  per  acre. 

LETTUCE   (Early.) 


750  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  the  acre,  in  5  applications. 


No  Ni 


Early  Lettuce. 
The  plants  were  started  in  the  hot-house,  and  pricked 
into  cold  frames,  April  26th  they  were  set  in  the  field. 
The  Nitrate  applications  on  the  experiment  plot  were  per 
acre  as  follows  :  April  29th,  100  pounds;  May  4th,  150 
pounds;  May  12th,  200  pounds;  May  1  8th,  200  pounds; 
May  23rd,  100  pounds;  a  total  of  750  pounds  per  acre. 
The  Nitrated  plot  was  first  cut  May  26th,  and  at  this  time 
the  non-Nitrated  plot  was  just  beginning  to  curl  a  few  leaves 
towards  the  heart  for  heading.  Approximately,  the  Nitrated 
plot  produced  per  acre  1,724  dozen  heads,  and  so  early  to  the 


market  that  the  average  wholesale  price  was  25  cents  per  p°a°^sfor 
dozen  ;  per  acre,  $43 1 .00.  From  this  we  must  deduct  . 
520.00  for  Nitrate  and  the  expense  of  applying  same, 
leaving  net  $41 1.00.  On  the  non-Nitrated  plot  only  about  4 
per  cent  of  the  plants  headed,  and  these  reached  the  market 
three  weeks  late.  The  financial  statement  shows  48  dozen 
heads  at  10  cents,  or  a  net  return  per  acre  of  $4.80.  That 
is,  without  the  Nitrate  dressing,  the  crop  was  a  failure. 

Onions. 

The  soil  was  in  bad  condition,  and  was  liberally  limed. 
Seeding  was  completed  April  15th,  and  the  plants  were 
rapidly  breaking  ground  by  the  28th.  The  tract  was 
divided  into  three  plots;  plot  1  received  675  pounds  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  in  six  applications  at  intervals  of  a  week  or 
10  days;  plot  2,  375  pounds  in  four  applications,  plot  3 
was  not  treated  with  Nitrate.  The  Nitrated  plots  seemed 
least  affected  by  the  exceptionally  dry  weather,  but  the  crop 
on  all  the  plots  was  no  doubt  reduced  by  the  unfavorable 
conditions.  The  following  table  gives  the  results  by  plots, 
computed  to  an  acre  basis  : 

Nitrate,  6"  lbs.     Nitrate,  375  lbs.     No  Nitrate. 

Total  yield 756  bu.  482  bu.  127  bu. 

Per  cent  scullions 1.5  i-7  I9-° 

Average  price  per  bushel  ....      75  cts.  65  cts.  35  cts. 

Total  receipts $567.00  $3!3-3°         $44-5° 

Fertilizer  cost 20. 1 7  9-3° 

Total  net  receipts    5+6.83  304.00  44-5° 

The  results  show  very  clearly  that  but  for  the  Nitrate 
applications,  the  crop   must  have  been  a  failure    in  every 

respect. 

ONIONS   (Main  Crop.) 


675  lbs.  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  the  acre, 
in  6  applications. 


3-5  lbs.  ot'  Nitrate  of  Soda 
to  the  acre,  in  4  appli- 
cations. 


No  Nitrate. 


Early  Peas. 

This  crop  was  planted  under  same  conditions  and  in 
like  manner  to  the  snap  beans,  300  pounds  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda  were  applied  per  acre,  to  the  experiment  plots.  Two 
varieties  were  planted,  early  and  late.      The  results  were  : 

Early.  Late. 

Nitrate.  Nothing.  Nitrate.  Nothing. 

Date  planted April  15.  April  15.  May  1.  May  1. 

First  picking June      8.  June  17.  June  29.  July  4. 

Gain  to   Market 7  days.  5  days.        

Period  of  bearing 11  days.  8  days.  10  days.  6  days. 

Crop  on   first  picking 55  p.  ct.  40  p.  ct.  57  p.  ct.  38  p.  ct. 

Total  yield   (p.  ct.) 165  100  168  100 

The  season  was  very  unfavorable  for  this  crop,  yet  the 
results  show  that  the  Nitrate  made  a  powerful  effort  to 
offset  this  disadvantage.  The  earliness  to  market  in  this 
case  is  as  pronounced  as  in  the  other  garden  crops,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  profitable  factors  in  the  use  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda.  The  lengthening  of  the  bearing  period  is  an  added 
advantage. 

Early  Potatoes. 

Plowing  was  finished  the  second  week  in  April,  and 
limed  at  the  rate  of  35  bushels  per  acre.  Furrows  were 
opened  three  feet  apart,  and  750  pounds  per  acre  of  a 
high-grade  fertilizer  worked  into  the  rows.  May  1st  the 
potatoes  were  breaking  ground,  and  100  pounds  of  Nitrate 
of  Soda  were  applied  per  acre  on  the  experiment  plot.  On 
the  11th  200  pounds  of  Nitrate  were  applied,  and  on  the 
29th  150  pounds  more  were  cultivated  in  with  a  horse-hoe. 
The  total  Nitrate  application  per  acre  was  450  pounds. 
The  Nitrated  plot  was  harvested  July  6th,  and  retailed  at 
an  average  price  of  $1.60  per  bushel  ;  the  plot  not  treated 
with  Nitrate  was  dug  July  17th,  eleven  days  later,  and  the 
highest  price  obtained  was  80  cents  per  bushel.  The 
Nitrated  plot  produced  per  acre  19  bushels  unmarketable 
tubers,  the  non-Nitrated  plot  46  bushels.  The  total  crop 
marketable  was  297  bushels  for  Nitrate,  and  92  bushels  for 
non-Nitrated  plot.  Deducting  the  cost  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
and  the  expense  of  applying  same,  the  Nitrated  crop  was 
worth  $463.30  per  acre,  while  the  non-Nitrated  plot  re- 
turned only  $69.00  per  acre.  For  every  dollar  expended 
for  Nitrate  of  Soda,  the  crop  increase  gave  $30.18  return. 


Late  Potatoes.  Food  for 

Plants 

Conditions  same  as  in  the  case  of  early  potatoes,  except  — — — 
the  Nitrate  of  Soda  was  used  at  the  rate  of  500  pounds  per 
acre,  in  five  applications.  The  crop  per  acre  on  the  Ni- 
trated plot,  marketable  tubers,  amounted  to  374  bushels;  on 
the  non-Nitrated  plot  the  yield  amounted  to  231  bushels 
marketable  tubers.  The  gain  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  was  143 
bushels,  or  nearly  62  per  cent,  increase. 

Early  Tomatoes. 

With  this  crop  the  object  is  to  mature  quickly ',  rather  than 
obtain  a  heavy  acre  yield ;  one  basket  of  early  tomatoes  at  $1.2 3 
is  worth  more  than  13  baskets  later  in  the  season,  when  the 
price  is  about  8  cents  per  basket.  The  plants  to  be  used  on 
the  Nitrated  plot  were  treated  with  a  dilute  solution  of  Ni- 
trate, four  separate  times.  Plants  were  field  set  May  17th, 
and  given  six  applications  of  Nitrate  of  Soda:  1st,  100 
pounds  per  acre  soon  after  setting  out ;  2nd,  3rd  and  4th  of 
75  pounds  each  ;  and  5th  and  6th  of  50  pounds  each — in 
all,  about  450  pounds  per  acre.     The  results  were : 

Nitrate.  No  Nitrate. 

Plants  set  out  in  field May    1  7.  May    17. 

First  picking June    30.  July    19. 

Davs,  setting  to  first  picking 43  62 

Crop  at  $1.00  and  upward  per  basket 40  p.  ct.  

.75  "  "  30      "  10  p.  ct. 

.50  "  "  20      "  15 

.30  "  "  10      "  20 

•25  "  "  25 

•15         "  "         lS 

.08         "  <<         15 

Estimated  yield  per  acre,  baskets 500  600 

Gross  receipts $377-5°  $190.20 

Cost  of  fertilizer  and  application I°-35  

Net  receipts. 367. 1  5  190.20 

Gain  per  acre  for  Nitrate 1  76. 95  

The  indicated  gain  amounts  to  a  return  of  $17.09  for 
every  dollar  expended  for  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

The  experiments  detailed  in  this  pamphlet  are  all  on  a 
working  basis.  In  every  case  the  object  was  to  force  the 
crop  to  an  early  yield,  and  while  the  applications  of  Nitrate 
of  Soda  seem  large  and  are  large  in  proportion  to  the  actual 
needs  of  the  crops  grown,  at  the  same  time  the  nature  of 


Food   for  market-gardening  requires  free  use  of  immediately   available 
Plants  plant  food,  and  the  results  show  that  such  use  is  very  pro- 


fitable.    Other  crops  than  those  enumerated  were  experi- 
mented with,  notably  Carrots,  Kale,  Lima  Beans,  Melons, 


Rhubarb,  Spinach,   Strawberries,   Endive    and    Kohl-Rabi.  Food   for 

While  the  detail  of  results  is   not  given,  illustrations  from  ants 

actual  photographs  show  the  increased  growth  from  the  use  "' 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

Cantaloupes. 

A  continuous  and  rapid  growth  in  Cantaloupes  is  essen- 
tial to  earliness  and  a  good  crop,  and  Nitrate  of  Soda  under 
the  proper  conditions  and  with  proper  care,  will  yield  just 
such  results.  A  dressing  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  alongside  the 
rows  in  cultivating,  in  addition  to  the  general  fertilizer  used, 
has  been  most  successful.  A  general  fertilizer  may  be  made 
up  as  follows  : 

Nitrate  of  Soda 400  lbs. 

Dried  Blood  or  Cotton  Seed  Meal 600  lbs. 

Superphosphate,  high  quality 600  lbs. 

Sulphate   of  Potash 200  lbs. 

Late  Spinach. 


3  50  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  the  acre,  in  2  applications. 


No  Nitrate 


T«he  points  to  be  observed  in  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
are  :  Avoid  an  excess  ;  make  frequent  small  applications 
rather  than  single  large  ones  ;  avoid  wetting  the  foliage  with 
solutions  of  it  ;  do  not  sprinkle  the  wet  foliage  with  dry  Ni- 
trate ;  and  in  general  Nitrate  must  not  be  allowed  to  come  in 
contact  with  the  sterns  or  leaves  of  plants.  Nitrate  of  Soda  is 
a  Nitrated  ammoniate,  and  is  immediately  available  as  plant 


Food  for  food.  The  general  fertilizer  suggested  may  be  applied 
Plants  at  the  rate  of  1,500  lbs.  to  the  acre,  and  subsequent  appli- 
72  cations  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  may  be  made  at  the  rate  of  100  lbs. 
to  the  acre,  say  two  or  three  weeks  apart,  during  the  growing 
season,  and  best  by  placing  the  Nitrate  well  mixed  with  fine 
dry  soil  before  applying,  say  %  of  an  ounce  to  V2  of  an  ounce 
to  each  hill.  The  general  fertilizer  may  be  economized  some- 
what by  using  a  handful  in  each  hill  rather  than  by  making  a 
general  application.  Another  formula  which  has  given  satis- 
faction is  one  in  which  dried  bone  meal  takes  the  place  of  the 
superphosphate,  and  a  little  blood  and  cotton-seed  meal  and 
smaller  amounts  of  potash  could  be  used,  including  the 
stated  amount  of  Nitrate,  at  the  rate  of  from  1,000  to 
1,500  lbs.  per  acre. 


Typhoid  from  the  Soil. 


Editorial  from  the   New   York   Evening  Sun,   August   15,   1902. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Typhoid  fever  has  run  through  whole  families  during 
the  present  season,  and  physicians  have  often  been  unable 
to  point  out  the  cause.  The  water  drunk  by  the  victims 
has  been  found  on  analysis  to  be  pure  and  the  milk  free 
from  germs.  It  is  true  the  fever  has  usually  been  of  a  mild 
type — the  peculiarity  of  it  was  that  it  attacked  all  or  most 
of  the  members  of  a  household  in  spite  of  precautions. 
The  Board  of  Health  in  Chicago,  where  there  has  been  a 
good  deal  of  typhoid  this  summer,  concludes,  after  investi- 
gation, that  the  origin  of  the  trouble  can  be  traced  to  the 
eating  of  raw  vegetables — lettuce,  tomatoes,  onions,  cold- 
slaw,  &c.  It  was  first  observed  that  the  greatest  number  of 
deaths  had  occurred  in  districts  where  the  water  supply  was 
above  suspicion.  The  milk  was  analyzed — it  was  whole- 
some in  most  cases.  In  what  is  called  the  Ghetto  district 
there  had  been  more  deaths  than  elsewhere,  and  as  raw 
vegetables  are  eaten  in  great  quantities  in  that  district  the 
Board  of  Health  had  a  clew  at  last.  The  vegetables  came 
originally  from  the  country  adjacent  to  Chicago,  which  has 
been  half  submerged  by  the  heavy  rains  during  the  present 
summer.  Contamination,  it  was  proved,  bad  thus  been  spread 
from  the  barnyards,  where  no  sanitary  precautions  are  taken. 
By  the  way,  why  do  not  Boards  of  Health  teach  the  farmer 
something  about  hygiene  and  see  that  he  heeds  the  lesson  ?  A 
chart  prepared  by  the  department  in  Chicago  shows  that  the 
greatest  number  of  deaths  from  typhoid  in  that  city  have 
occurred  in  localities  supplied  by  cheap  and  dubious  farm 
products.  Accordingly  the  Board  has  issued  this  general 
notice  :  "  Do  not  eat  raw  and  unclean  vegetables  ;  do  not 
buy  cheap  dairy  products  ;  sterilize  the  milk."  The  warn- 
ing will  serve  for  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  easy  to 
avoid  drinking  cheap  milk  and  eating  cheap  cheese,  but 
with  the  best  of  care  we  may  consume  raw  vegetables  that 
have  come  from  a  vile  farm — the  typhoid  germ  may  lurk 
in  a  bunch  of  celery  that  looks  clean  enough  to  the  eye. 
The  cooked  vegetable  seems  to  be  above  suspicion. 


Food  for  even  a  better    response  to    Nitrate   applications  than    the 

ants  grainSi  ancj  acre  applications  of  300  to  400  pounds  are   not 

unusual;  100  pounds  with  the  seed,  and  100  pounds  at  the 

time  of  singling,  the  remainder  in  one  or  two  applications  a 

month  apart.      Permanent  pastures,  unless  manured  every 

year,  should  have    100   pounds   Nitrate  per  year  per  acre. 

For  soiling  crops,  where  the  plants  are  not  matured,  the 

Nitrate  application  may    be  largely  increased    with   profit. 

For  potatoes,  Dr.  Dyer  advises  200  to  300  pounds  of  acid 

phosphate,  300  to  400  pounds  of  kainit,  and   100  pounds 

of  Nitrate  of  Soda  made  in  two  applications  of  50  pounds 

each — this  on  land  that  has    already  been   heavily   treated 

with  farmyard  manures. 

j_j        M-f    r  The     form    of    ammonia    most    active    as 

r  plant  food  is    the  Nitrated  form,    such  as 

w,u     _  r,  ammonia    exists  in   Nitrate    of  Soda.      All 

Wheat  Crops.         ,  .  ,  ,  . 

other  ammomates  must    be  converted  into 

this  form   before  they  can  be  used  as  food  by  plants.     Sir 

John    B.    Lawes    wisely    remarks :     "  When    we   consider 

that  the  application  of  a  few  pounds  of  ammonia  (Nitrogen) 

in  Nitrate  of  Soda  to  a  soil  which  contains  several  thousand 

pounds   of  ammonia    in    its    organic    form,    is    capable    of 

increasing  the  crop  from    14  to    40,  or   even    50    bushels 

of  wheat    per   acre,    I    think   it  must    be   apparent   to   all 

that    we    have   very    convincing    evidence    of    Nitric    acid 

being  the  main  source  of  Nitrogen  (ammonia)  in  plants." 

The   ammonia  of  Nitrate   of  Soda,   Nitrated    ammonia  it 

may  be    called  for    convenience,    is  immediately    available 

as     plant     food,     and     should     therefore     not    be     applied 

until  plants  are  ready  to  use  it.      By  the  ready  supply   of 

available  ammoniate  plant  food,  young  plants  are    able  to 

establish  such  a  vigor  of  growth  that  they  can  much  better 

resist  disease,  and  the  attacks  of  insects  and  parasites.      The 

jyr.  p  famous  experiments  of  Lawes  and  Gilbert 

,     ...  at    Rothamsted    have    demonstrated     that 

pared  with  ....  .  , 

c  a  am         cereals    utilize    more    than    three    times    as 

rarmyard  Ma-  ,      -  ,     -,..  .    XT.  c  c    1 

much  of  the  Nitrogen  in  Nitrate  or  Soda  as 
nure  •  • 

of  the    Nitrogen    (ammonia)    contained    in 

farmyard  manure  ;  in  practice,  four  and  one-half  tons  of 
farmyard  manure  supply  only  as  much  actual  ammonia 
plant  food  as  100  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  so  far  as 
making  crops  is  concerned. 


No  Nitrate,  23  bu. 

300  lbs. 

Nitrate,  33.5  bu 

I.         «                15     '■ 

300    " 

28.0    " 

II.        «               34    " 

300    " 

"       +9-o   " 

Wheat.  Food  for 

Plants 

From  100   to  200    pounds  of  Nitrate  of    ^heat  Experi-        7T 

Soda    per    acre  should  be    broadcasted  on     _„nf„  Jn  Pnfr 
.         *  .  1       i  *        mcnio  111  cii^" 

wheat,  as  soon  as  the  new  growth  snows  in     j     ^ 

the  spring.      The  results  of  such  treatment 

are  shown  by  the  following  table  of  experiments   made  by 

three  English  gentlemen. 

Gain  46  p.  ct. 
«     87      " 
"     44      << 

Another    illustration   is    an    experiment  rottonsee(j 
made  by  the  late  Dr.  Voelcker;  672  pounds   Mgal  Compar. 
of  cottonseed  meal  was  used  in  comparison  ecj  vvith  Nitrate 
with   275  pounds   of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  with 
the  result    that  the  latter  gave  a  return  of  46.75    bushels 
per    acre,  a  gain  over  the  cottonseed  meal  of  nearly   24  per 
cent. 

Barley. 

In  an  experiment  at  Woburn,  made  in  behalf  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  by  the  late  Dr. 
Voelcker,  the  following  results  were  obtained: 

Mineral  manures  and  sulphate  ammonia 36.75  bushels  per  acre. 

Nitrate  275  lbs.  and  minerals 42-5°  bushels  per  acre. 

Gain  for  Nitrate^,  16  per  cent. 

Both  the  ammonia  salts  and  the  Nitrate  used  contained 
the  same  amount  of  actual  Nitrogen.  Compared  with 
cottonseed  meal,  124  lbs.  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  gave  49.5 
bushels  barley  per  acre  as  to  37  bushels  from  1,000  pounds 
cottonseed  meal  applied  the  previous  year. 


Oats. 

An  authenticated  experiment  made  by  Mr.  P.  Dickson, 
of  Barnhill,  Laurencekirk,  N.  B.,  gave  a  return  from  the 
use  of  1 1 2  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  of  64  bushels  per  acre, 
while  the  soil  without  Nitrate  gave  a  crop  of  only  36  bushels. 
Top  dressings  for  oats  vary  with  the  soil,  ranging  from  75 
pounds  per  acre  on  rich  soils  to  300  pounds  on  poor  soils  ; 


Food  for  it  should  always  be  applied  some  ten  days  after  the  young  plants 
Plants  /iave  hroken  ground.  Heavy  applications  are  divided  into 
78        two  or  three  doses,  applied  in  intervals  of  about  ten  days. 

Mangolds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  pays  very  well  on  stock  roots,  and  the 
best  application  is  from  i  50  to  200  pounds  per  acre,  applied 
in  two  doses  about  ten  days  apart,  the  first  dose  not  earlier 
than  July.  The  Essex  Agricultural  Society  found  by  ex- 
periment that  while  12  tons  of  farmyard  manure  and  300 
pounds  superphosphate  gave  a  crop  of  nearly  ten  and  one- 
half  tons  per  acre,  when  200  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were 

c  ,  ,       added,  the  yield  was  increased  to  over    1 5 

Formulas  and  J       ~,,  J 

~.        .  tons  per  acre.      I  he  season  was    very   un- 

Directions.  c         1.1        r\     t\  'a 

favorable.      Dr.   Dyer  suggests  400  pounds 

of  Nitrate  on  soils  well  run-down,  or  300  pounds  if  10  to 

12  tons  of  manure  have  been  used;    100  pounds  should  be 

sown  with  the  seed,  100  pounds  top-dressed  after  singling, 

100  pounds  top-dressed  a  month  or  six  weeks  later,  and  at 

discretion  25  pounds  per  month  for  another  period. 

Turnips  and  Swedes. 

Nitrate  is  used  for  this  crop  quite  in  the  same  manner 
as  for  mangolds.  Dr.  Macadam  reported  to  the  Arbroath 
Farmers'  Club  a  gain  of  37  per  cent  in  yield  from  the  use  of 
Nitrate,  336  pounds  per  acre. 

Grass. 

Experiments  on  grass  at  the  Royal  Agricultural  College, 
Cirencester,  gave  a  return  of  nearly  3  1  cwt.  hay  from  the 
use  of  acid  phosphate  alone  and  41.75  cwt.  when  280 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were  used.  During  March  or 
early  in  April  is  the  best  time  to  apply  Nitrate  to  grass 
lands. 

Potatoes. 

A  successful  grower  in  England  recommends  150 
pounds  of  Nitrate  per  acre,  and  250  pounds  of  acid  phos- 
phate (potash  not  being  supposed  necessary  in  England), 
sown  just  before  seeding,  to  be  followed  by  a  top-dressing 
of  100  pounds  of  Nitrate  when  the  plants  are  well  under 


way.      An  experiment  conducted  by  Dr.  J.  M.  H.  Munro,   Food  for 
or*    Downtown    Agricultural    College,     Salisbury,    for     the   p,ants 
Permanent    Nitrate  Committee,   gave    a    return    of   nearly 
twenty  and  one-half  tons  per  acre,  from  an   increasecj  yield. 
application   of  600  pounds  of  Nitrate  per 
acre,  supplemented  by   phosphoric  acid  and  potash.     The 
Nitrate  was  used  in  three  applications.      An  application   of 
300  pounds  of  Nitrate  resulted  in   a  yield  of  thirteen   and 
one-third  tons  per  acre. 

Dr.  Bernard  Dyer  recommends  catch-  Catch-Crops 
crops,  to  prevent  losses  of  available  plant 
food  after  crops  are  removed  ;  for  this  use  he  recommends 
Rape,  Italian  rye  grass,  Rye,  Thousand-headed  kale  and 
clovers.  All  these  should  be  top-dressed  with  Nitrate  ot 
Soda,  from  100  to  200  pounds  per  acre,  depending  upon 
the  exhausted  condition  of  the  soil.  In  the  remarks  on  the 
use  of  Nitrate  in  this  sketch,  we  have  taken  it  for  granted 
that  our  readers  fully  understand  that  Nitrate  alone  is  not  a 
complete  plant  food.  In  all  cases  where  Nitrate  has  been 
recommended,  it  is  also  to  be  understood  that  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash  are  to  be  used,  unless  it  is  known  that  the 
soil  contains  ample  supplies  of  these  elements  of  plant  food. 


WHEAT    AND    OATS,    RYE  AND    BARLEY. 

(Bulletin  44,  Georgia  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
September,   1899.) 

This  bulletin  gives  in  detail  the  results   titrate  and 
of  experiments  on  wheat  with  fertilizers,  in   rottonseecj 
which    Nitrate   of  Soda   is    compared  with   MeaJ  ^Qm 
cottonseed  meal;  in  all  cases  the  plots  were  pared on W"heat. 
liberally  supplied  with  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash.      An  average  of  four  plots  each  gives  an   acre  yield 
of  wheat  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  01*49.4  bushels,  for  cottonseed 
meal  40.1  bushels,  a  gain  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  of  something 
over  23  per  cent.      A  similar   experiment  with  oats  gave  a 
return  of  60  bushels  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  only  42  bushels 
for  cottonseed  meal,  a  gain  of  nearly   43  per  cent,  for   Ni- 
trate.    The    Bulletin    recommends,  even  when   cottonseed 
meal   is  used  in  the  complete  fertilizer,  to  use   Nitrate  of 
Soda  as  a  top-dressing  in  the  spring. 


Food  for  it  should  always  be  applied  some  ten  days  after  the  young  plants 
Plants  ^ave  broken  ground.  Heavy  applications  are  divided  into 
78        two  or  three  doses,  applied  in  intervals  of  about  ten  days. 

Mangolds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  pays  very  well  on  stock  roots,  and  the 
best  application  is  from  i  50  to  200  pounds  per  acre,  applied 
in  two  doses  about  ten  days  apart,  the  first  dose  not  earlier 
than  July.  The  Essex  Agricultural  Society  found  by  ex- 
periment that  while  12  tons  of  farmyard  manure  and  300 
pounds  superphosphate  gave  a  crop  of  nearly  ten  and  one- 
half  tons  per  acre,  when  200  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were 

c  .  .       added,  the  yield  was  increased  to  over   15 

Formulas  and  t>l 

~ .        .  tons  per  acre.      1  he  season   was    very   un- 

favorable. Dr.  Dyer  suggests  400  pounds 
of  Nitrate  on  soils  well  run-down,  or  3C0  pounds  if  10  to 
12  tons  of  manure  have  been  used;  100  pounds  should  be 
sown  with  the  seed,  100  pounds  top-dressed  after  singling, 
100  pounds  top-dressed  a  month  or  six  weeks  later,  and  at 
discretion  25  pounds  per  month  for  another  period. 

Turnips  and  Swedes. 

Nitrate  is  used  for  this  crop  quite  in  the  same  manner 
as  for  mangolds.  Dr.  Macadam  reported  to  the  Arbroath 
Farmers'  Club  a  gain  of  37  per  cent  in  yield  from  the  use  of 
Nitrate,  336  pounds  per  acre. 

Grass. 

Experiments  on  grass  at  the  Royal  Agricultural  College, 
Cirencester,  gave  a  return  of  nearly  3  1  cwt.  hay  from  the 
use  of  acid  phosphate  alone  and  41.75  cwt.  when  280 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  were  used.  During  March  or 
early  in  April  is  the  best  time  to  apply  Nitrate  to  grass 
lands. 

Potatoes. 

A  successful  grower  in  England  recommends  1 50 
pounds  of  Nitrate  per  acre,  and  250  pounds  of  acid  phos- 
phate (potash  not  being  supposed  necessary  in  England), 
sown  just  before  seeding,  to  be  followed  by  a  top-dressing 
of  100  pounds  of  Nitrate  when  the  plants  are  well  under 


way.      An  experiment  conducted  by  Dr.  J.  M.  H.  Munro,   J^J01" 
of    Downtown    Agricultural    College,     Salisbury,    for     the 

•  C  1  79 

Permanent  Nitrate  Committee,  gave  a  return  or  nearly 
twenty  and  one-half  tons  per  acre,  from  an  jncreaseci  Yield, 
application  of  600  pounds  of  Nitrate  per 
acre,  supplemented  by  phosphoric  acid  and  potash.  The 
Nitrate  was  used  in  three  applications.  An  application  of 
300  pounds  of  Nitrate  resulted  in  a  yield  of  thirteen  and 
one-third  tons  per  acre. 

Dr.  Bernard  Dyer  recommends  catch-  Catch-Crops, 
crops,  to  prevent  losses  of  available  plant 
food  after  crops  are  removed  ;  for  this  use  he  recommends 
Rape,  Italian  rye  grass,  Rye,  Thousand-headed  kale  and 
clovers.  All  these  should  be  top-dressed  with  Nitrate  of 
Soda,  from  100  to  200  pounds  per  acre,  depending  upon 
the  exhausted  condition  of  the  soil.  In  the  remarks  on  the 
use  of  Nitrate  in  this  sketch,  we  have  taken  it  for  granted 
that  our  readers  fully  understand  that  Nitrate  alone  is  not  a 
complete  plant  food.  In  all  cases  where  Nitrate  has  been 
recommended,  it  is  also  to  be  understood  that  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash  are  to  be  used,  unless  it  is  known  that  the 
soil  contains  ample  supplies  of  these  elements  of  plant  food. 


WHEAT    AND    OATS,    RYE  AND    BARLEY. 

(Bulletin  44,  Georgia  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
September,   1899.) 

This  bulletin  gives  in  detail  the  results   Nitrate  and 
of  experiments  on  wheat  with  fertilizers,  in  cottonseecj 
which    Nitrate   of  Soda   is    compared  with  Meal  Com_ 
cottonseed  meal;  in  all  cases  the  plots  were  parecj on ^heat. 
liberally  supplied  with  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash.      xAn  average  of  four  plots  each  gives  an   acre  yield 
of  wheat  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  of  49.4  bushels,  for  cottonseed 
meal  40.1  bushels,  a  gain  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  of  something 
over  23  per  cent.      A  similar   experiment  with  oats  gave  a 
return  of  60  bushels  for  Nitrate  of  Soda  and  only  42  bushels 
for  cottonseed  meal,  a  gain  of  nearly   43  per  cent,  for   Ni- 
trate.    The    Bulletin    recommends,  even  when   cottonseed 
meal   is  used  in  the  complete  fertilizer,  to  use   Nitrate  of 
Soda  as  a  top-dressing  in  the  spring. 


Food  for  FERTILIZERS  FOR  FRUITS. 

(Bulletin    66,    Hatch    Experiment    Station,    March,     1900.) 


N.  .„    ,       Fertilizers    for    the     Apple :     The     results 

.      .  show  the  most  improvement  where   Nitrate 

on  Apples.  c  0    ,  £   ,       ^  , 

or  Soda  was  applied,      r"or  apple  trees  in 

grass  the  following  fertilizer  is  recommended  :      Nitrate  of 

Soda  1  to   5  pounds,  Sulphate  of  potash  i  to  5  pounds,  S. 

C.  phosphate  rock  4  to  10  pounds.     The  quantity  used  to 

be  varied  according  to  the  size  of  the  tree. 

n      .  Fertilizers    for    the    Peach :    The   fertilizer 

recommended,  depending  upon   the  size  of 

the  trees,  is  substantially  the  same  as  for  apples,  except  that 

the  phosphate  rock  is  reduced  one-half  for  the  earlier  stages 

of  growth,    remaining   the  same  as   for  apples  in  the  later 

stages.      Nitrate  of  Soda  should   not  be   applied    until  just 

as  the  trees  are  beginning  to  grow. 

KT.  p  c    ,       Fertilizers     for     other     Fruits  :       For     all 

Nitrate  of  Soda  .  ir    .  ,,        ,      ,         ,     ,     . 

f      P     .  perennial  fruits  as  well  as  shrubs  and  plants, 

^  „  the  fertilizer  used  should  be  largely  available 

Generally.  .  .  c  ,  & 

in  the  early  part  or  the  season,  as  a  preven- 
tative to  winter  injuries.  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  the  most  de- 
sirable form  of  ammoniate.  The  following  is  a  recommended 
fertilizer:  150  to  300  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  500  to 
1,000  pounds  of  acid  phosphate,  and  150  to  300  pounds 
sulphate  of  potash,  to  be  used  at  the  rate  of  1,000  to  2,000 
pounds  per  acre.  The  formula  is  as  follows  :  Nitrogen  3 
per  cent,  available  phosphoric  acid  7  per  cent,  and  potash  8 
to  9  per  cent. 

r^  1  c     •.       '}oo  lbs.  Nitrate. 

General  Fruit       J       1U      A   .  ,  D,        ,    t 
c  .  coo  lbs.  Acid  Phosphate. 

Formula.  D       .,      c  ,   ,    A      K  D  t    , 

200  lbs.  Sulphate  or  Potash. 


How  Nitrate  Benefits  the  Farmer. 


EDITED    BY    WILLIAM    S.    MYERS. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Nitrate  of  Soda,  from  the  standpoint  of    What  Nitrate 

the     Agricultural    chemist,    is   a    substance     Looks  Like;  Its 

tormed  bv  the  union  or  nitric  acid  to  sodium     ^, .    « 

.  .         •  .  ,  Chemical 

oxide.      In  appearance,  it  resembles   coarse     pr0Dert:es 

salt.      To    agriculture    and    the    arts,    it    is 

chiefly  valuable  for  the  active  Nitrogen   (commercially  it  is 

an  ammoniate  package)  contained  in  the  nitric  acid  part  of 

the  compound  ;  the  Soda  acts  as  a  carrier,  that  the  Nitrogen 

may  exist  in  such  form  phvsicallv,  and  that         W7u„*  ;,  ic.  .„ 
•  i      u      ji   j  u         j-  r  What  it  is  in 

it  may   be  handled  by   ordinary  appliances.         Agriculture 
When    pure  it    contains    16.47    pounds  of 
Nitrogen  to  the    100  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  that  is, 
16.47    Per    cent    Nitrogen.       Commercially    pure    Nitrate 
carries  a  Nitrogen  percentage  of  about  15.75,  equivalent  to 
19  per  cent,  of  Ammonia  or  380  lbs.  to  the  ton. 

Nitrate    of   Soda    in  the   crude  state  is  Where  it  is 

found  mixed  with  earth  in  the  arid  section  Found 

of  northern  Chili,  from  which  it  is  extracted 
bv  treatment  with   hot  water,  the   Nitrate  being  soluble  in 
water.     The  enormous  explosive  industry  of  this  country 
could  not  be  conducted  without  Nitrate  of  -      Uses 

Soda,  and  glass  works  are  dependent  upon 
Nitrate  of  Soda.      In  fact,  glass  works  usually  have  Nitrate 
for  sale,  as  do  powder  works. 

Nitrate  of    Soda  has  a    special   bearing    ^  position  jn 
on  the  progress   or  modern  agriculture  ;   in     ™odern 
the  first  place  it  is  the  most  nutritious  form     Affrjcuiture 
of  Nitrogenous  or   ammoniate  plant  food, 
and  secondly  it  is  a  very  important  factor  in  the  manufacture 
of  sulphuric  acid  and  acid  phosphate.      While  the  action   of 
micro-organisms  with  certain  crops,  (leguminosa?),  combines 
and  makes  effective  use  of  the  inert  Nitrogen  of  the  atmos- 
phere, such  action  is  far  too  slow  and  uncertain  for  all   the 
requirements  of  modern  agriculture.      The  rapid  exhaustion 
of  combined  Nitrogen   has  several   times   been    noticed  by 
eminent  scientific  men,  with  reference  to  food  famine  because 
of  a  lack  of  the  needful   Nitrogenous  plant  food.      It  has 


Food  for  been    closely   estimated   that  in   the  crude 

P^nts  Wasteful  Meth-  methods  of  soil  exhaustion  in  farming  the 
82  ods  bl  our  Fl°-  rich  lands  of  our  Western  States,  for  every 
neer  Farmers.  pound  of  Nitrogen  actually  used  to  make  a 
wheat  crop,  four  to  five  pounds  are  utterly  wasted.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  intelligent  farmers  will  realize  that  it  is 
cheaper  to  increase  the  yields  of  their  wheat  fields  by  the 
judicious  use  of  150  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre, 
than  to  continue  the  present  method  of  slow  but  certain 
exhaustion  of  the  soil.  In  other  words,  our  pioneer  agri- 
culture has  proceeded  as  though  the  fertility  capital  could 
be  forever  drawn  upon. 

The  agricultural  value  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
untwie^  has  had  the  attention  of  the  foremost  agri- 
"sts  thl  „0[  cultural  and  scientific  specialists  of  the  world, 
Wen  Ac-  indud-  such  names  as  Dr  Paul  Wagner 
quainted  With  and  pr*fessor  Maercker,  of  Germanv ; 
Large  Uses  or  Lawe§  and  Gilbert>  sir  William  Kookes, 
Nitrate.  Dr      Bernard     Dyerj     Dr.     Voelcker    and 

others,  in  England;  Professors  Cassarini,  Migneaux,  Cadoret, 
and  many  others,  in  France;  Professor  Bernardo  Giner 
Alino,  in  Spain;  and  Drs.  Voorhees,  Wheeler,  Brooks, 
Thorne,  Redding,  Scovell,  Stubbs,  Patterson,  Armsby, 
Jenkins,  and  others,  in  this  country.  The  results  obtained 
by  these  gentlemen  may  be  summarized  as  follows  : 

1.  Nitrate  of  Soda  acts  very  beneficially  and  with  great 
certainty  upon  all  straw-growing  plants. 

1.  It  is  of  special  value  for  forcing  the  rapid  develop- 
ment and  early  maturity  of  most  garden  crops. 

3.  It  is  of  great  importance  in  the  production  of  sugar 
beets,  potatoes,  hops,  fodder  crops,  fibre  plants,  and  tobacco. 

4.  It  is  exceedingly  valuable  in  developing  and  main- 
taining meadow  grass  and  pasture  lands. 

5.  In  the  early  stages  of  development  it  produces 
favorable  results  upon  peas,  vetches,  lupines,  and  clover. 

6.  It  has  been  applied  with  much  advantage  to  various 
kinds  of  berries,  bush  fruits,  vineyards,  orchards  and  nursery 
stock. 

7.  It  provides  the  means  in  the  hands  of  the  farmer, 
for  stimulating  his  crops  so  that  they  may  better  withstand 
the  ravages  of  drought,  or  the  onslaughts  of  plant  diseases 
or  insect  pests. 


8.  It  may   be  used  as  a  surface  application  to  the  soil,   Food   for 
from  time  to  time,  as  the  plants  indicate  a  need  of  it   by      ants 
their  color  and  growth. 

9.  It  is  immediately  available,  and  under  favorable 
conditions  its  effect  upon  many  crops  may  be  noticed  within 
a  few  hours  after  its  application. 

10.  It  may  be  used  either  as  a  special  fertilizer,  as  a 
supplemental  fertilizer,  or  as  a  mixed  fertilizer,  in  combi- 
nation with  other  fertilizer  ingredients. 

11.  The  best  results  are  obtained  from  its  application 
when  the  soil  has  been  treated  with  ample  supplies  ot 
available  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  salts,  or  where  these 
are  already  present  in  ample  supplies  in  the  soil.  It  should 
always  be  remembered  that  it  furnishes  but  one  element  of 
plant  food,  namely,  Nitrogen. 

\i.  Its  uniform  action  seems  to  be  to  stimulate  the 
capacity  of  the  plant  for  absorbing  water  and  developing 
foliage  and  plant  growth.  Its  action  is  characterized  by 
imparting  to  the  plant  a  deep  green,  healthy  appearance,  and 
by  causing  it  to  grow  rapidly,  or  to  put  out  numbers  of 
new  shoots. 

13.  The  immediate  effect  of  an  application  of  Nitrate 
of  Soda,  therefore,  is  to  develop  a  much  larger  plant 
growth,  and  the  skillful  application  of  potash  salts  and 
phosphoric  acid  must  be  relied  upon  to  act  in  combination 
with  this  effect,  to  secure  the  largest  yields  of  fruits  and  grain. 

14.  Under  favorable  conditions  of  moisture  and  culti- 
vation, these  effects  may  be  confidently  anticipated  upon  all 
kinds  of  soils. 

15.  All  of  the  plant  food  contained  in  Nitrate  of  Soda 
is  available  and  existing  in  a  highly  soluble  form.  The 
farmer  should  understand  that  it  is  not  economical  to  apply 
more  of  it  than  can  be  utilized  by  the  growing  crop  ;  one  of 
the  most  valuable  qualities  of  this  fertilizer  being  that  it  does 
not  lie  dormant  in  the  soil  from  one  season  to  the  next. 

16.  The  best  results  are  secured  when  it  is  applied 
during  the  early  growing  periods  of  the  plant.  If  applied 
later  in  the  development  of  the  plant,  it  has  a  tendency  to 
protract  its  growing  period  and  to  delay  the  ripening  of  the 
fruit,  as  the  energies  of  the  plant  are  immediately  concen- 
trated upon  developing  its  growth,  after  a  liberal  application 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Food  for  iym      The  farmer  must  not  expect  it  to  excuse  him  from 

Plants  applying  proper  principles  of  land  drainage,  or  cultivation 
84  of  the  soil,  nor  should  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  be  used  in  ex- 
cessive quantities  too  close  to  the  plants  that  are  fertilized 
with  it.  For  most  agricultural  crops,  an  application  of  ioo  to 
150  lbs.  to  the  acre  is  sufficient.  Where  a  highly  intensive 
system  of  farming  is  pursued,  should  it  be  desirable  to  apply 
more  Nitrate,  it  should  be  done  in  broken  doses  of  not  ex- 
ceeding 150  lbs.  to  the  acre,  at  intervals  of  not  less  than 
two  weeks  between  the  applications. 

18.  It  may  be  applied  to  either  agricultural  or  garden 
lands  in  the  form  of  a  solution  in  water,  or  by  sowing  it 
broadcast  upon  the  land,  or  by  means  of  any  fertilizer-dis- 
tributing machine  in  use.  If  applied  in  the  dry  state,  in 
order  to  insure  uniform  distribution,  a  convenient  method 
is  to  mix  it  with  twice  its  weight  of  air-slacked  lime,  land 
plaster,  potash  salts,  phosphates,  or  even  with  sand,  before 
applying  it.  It  can  be  applied  to  the  surface,  and  without 
cultivation  will  be  absorbed  by  the  soil,  or  it  may  be  culti- 
vated into  the  soil  by  some  light  agricultural  implement, 
such  as  a  harrow,  weeder,  cultivator  or  horse  hoe.  The 
capillary  movement  of  the  soil  waters  will  distribute  it  in 
the  soil,  but  excessive  rains  immediately  after  its  application 
may  sometimes  wash  it  out  of  the  soil. 

.  TT  r\  u.  Accepting  the  conclusions  of  these  scientific 
Its  Use  Ought  1  5  £  xt-  c  c   j     • 

.    t  men,  the  use  or  Nitrate  or  Soda  in  agri- 

to  Increase.  ,   '  ,         ,     .  ,  .    &     . 

culture  ought  to  be  increased  proportionate 

to  the  dissemination  of  the  knowledge  of  its  usefulness 
among  our  farmers.  We  ought  to  expect  especially  an  in- 
crease in  the  consumption  of  Nitrate  among  growers  of 
tobacco,  fiber  plants,  sugar  beets,  the  hop,  grape,  and  small 
fruit  industry  generally.  The  element  of  plant  food  first 
exhausted  in  soils  is  Nitrogen,  and  in  many  cases  a  marked 
increase  in  crop  is  obtained  through  top  dressings  of  Nitrate 
alone.  Commercial  fertilizers  are  generally  rather  low  in 
ammonia,  and  Nitrate  may  be  wisely  used  to  supplement 
them.  As  it  is  practically  the  cheapest  form  of  plant  food 
ammonia,  its  use  in  complete  fertilizers  promises  to  increase 
further. 

The  illustrations  beginning  on  page  102  represent 
accurately  taken  photographs  of  results  of  fertilizer  experi- 
ments with  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Niter  in  Fertilizing. 


1  Bulletin  24,  California  State  Mining  Bureau,  May,  igo2. 


Food    for 
Plants 


By  Dr.  GILBERT  E.  BAILEY. 


All  plants  require  light,  air,  heat,  water,  cultivation,  and 
a  fertile  soil.  Every  crop  removes  from  the  soil  a  portion 
of  the  plant-food  contained  therein,  and  continuous  crop- 
ping will,  in  time,  exhaust  the  richest  soil,  unless  the 
nutritive  elements  are  restored ;  therefore,  the  truly 
economical  farmer  will  feed  the  growing  plant  or  tree  with 
a  generous  hand.  The  literature  on  this  subject,  while 
voluminous,  is  so  scattered  as  to  be  difficult  of  access  to  the 
general  reader,  and  the  following  notes  are  added  in  order 
to  give  some  general  idea  of  the  value  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  in 
fertilizing. 

The  most  important  materials  used  to  supply  Nitrogen, 
in  the  composition  of  commercial  fertilizers,  are  Nitrate  of 
Soda  and  sulphate  of  ammonia.  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  particu- 
larly adapted  for  top-dressing  during  the  growing  season, 
and  is  the  quickest  acting  of  all  the  Nitrogenous  fertil- 
izers. 

Dried  blood,  tankage,  azotine,  fish  scrap,  castor  pomace, 
and  cotton-seed  meal  represent  fertilizers  where  the  Nitro- 
gen is  only  slowly  available,  and  they  must  be  applied  in 
the  fall  so  as  to  be  decomposed  and  available  for  the  follow- 
ing season.  Nitrogen  in  the  form  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  readily 
leaches  through  the  soil  and  is  at  once  available  during  the 
growing  and  fruiting  season,  possessing,  therefore,  a  decided 
advantage  over  all  other  Nitrogen  plant-foods. 

The  following  list  of  materials  used  as  a  source  of 
Nitrogen,  in  making  commercial  fertilizers,  shows  the 
percentage  of  Nitrogen  in  each  : 


Food     for  Per  cent  Nitrogen. 

Plants  Nitrate  of  Soda 15  to  16 

§^  Sulphate  of  ammonia 19  to  22 

Dried  blood 10  to  1 4 

Tankage 5  to  1  2 

Dried  fish  scrap 9  to  1  1 

Cotton-seed  meal 6  to     7 

Castor  pomace 5  to     6 

Tobacco  stems ,  .    2  to     3 

Bone  meal 2  to     4 

Peruvian  guano 6  to  1  o 

Nitrate  of  potash 13  to  1 4 

Manures    0.3  to     1.6 


The  following  table  shows  the 
Nitrogen  removed  in  one  year  from 
specified  : 

Wheat 35 

Rye 30 

Barley 40 

Oats 60 

Corn 50 

Buckwheat 30 

Potatoes 200 

Sugar  beets     15 

Mangel-wurzel 22 

Meadow  hay    2 

Timothy 2 

Green  corn 11 

Red  clover 2 

Lucerne 8 

Sugar-cane 20 

Sorghum    15 

Cotton 750 

Hops 600 

Tobacco 1 600 

Grapes 2 

Cabbage 31 

Cucumbers 25 

Onions 11 

Oranges 10 


number  0 

f  pounds  of 

one  acre 

by   the  crop 

Crop. 

Nitrogen. 

bushels. 

59  lbs. 

bushels. 

51  lbs. 

bushels. 

46  lbs. 

bushels. 

55  lbs. 

bushels. 

67  lbs. 

bushels. 

35  lbs. 

bushels. 

46  lbs. 

l2    tons. 

69  lbs. 

tons. 

1  50  lbs. 

y2    tons,  dry. 

83  lbs. 

tons,  dry. 

89  lbs. 

Y?    tons. 

85  lbs. 

tons,  dry. 

105  lbs. 

tons. 

I  13  lbs. 

tons. 

153  lbs. 

tons. 

121  lbs. 

lbs.,  seed 

26  lbs. 

lbs.,  seed 

84  lbs. 

lbs. 

89  lbs. 

tons. 

32  lbs. 

tons. 

1  50  lbs. 

tons. 

86  lbs: 

l/2    tons. 

72  lbs. 

tons. 

24  lbs. 

The  following  table  shows  the  quantity  of  fertilizer 
desirable  for  one  acre,  with  the  percentage  of  Nitrogen  in 
it.  The  quantities  given  are  for  the  average  soil,  under 
average  conditions,  the  character  and  amounts  of  other 
plant-foods  in  the  fertilizer  not  being  considered  here: 


Fertilizer. 

Per  acre. 

Artichokes 

600  lb 

Asparagus 

500 

Barlev 

500 

Beans 

700 

Beets,  garden  .  .  . 

400 

Beets,  sugar  .... 

1 ,000 

Benne    

5  5° 

Blackberrv 

650 

Buckwheat 

300 

Cabbage 

1,500 

Cane,  sugar  .... 

75° 

Carrots 

500 

Cassava 

300 

Celerv 

700 

550 

Cotton 

900 

Cranberry    

600 

Cucumbers 

1,200 

Currants 

5  5° 

Egg-plant 

2,000 

Flax    

400 
800 

Hemp 

1,000 

Horseradish 

600 

Lettuce 

1,000 

Melons    

1,200 

Nitrogen 

in 
Fertilizer. 

Per  cent. 
3 

4-5 

1 
2 

3 
6 

5 

3 
3 
4 

i 

3 
4 

2.5 

2 

2 

3 

3 

4 

3 

5-5 

3 

4 

5 

3 


Mint  .  .  . 
Mustard 
Oats    .  . 
Onions 

Oranges 


Fertilizer. 


Per  acre. 

700  lbs. 
300 
400 
1,500 

I       Per  tree. 
20 
Per  acre. 
90O 

2,000 
70O 


Nitrogen 


Pei  ct 

4 


Food    for 
Plants 


Peas 

Pineapples.  .  .  . 
Potatoes,  Irish. 
Potatoes,  sweet .  .       550 

Radishes 800 

Ramie 650 

Rape '     600 

Raspberry.  .     .  .         700 

Rhubarb i,3°° 

Rice 450 

Spinach. 1,200 

Squash .  1,600 

Strawberry 1.500 

Sunflower 500 

Tobacco 600 

Tomatoes 1,200 

Trees,  general.  .  .       600 
Turnips  450 

Wheat     400 


3 

2.5 

4 


3 
3 
4 
3 
2 

4 

3 

3 

3 

3 

4 

3 

3 

3-5 

4 

3 

2.5 

3 


Artificial  fertilizers  are  used  freely  by  the  fruit  growers 
of  California,  and  their  use  among  the  farmers  is  steadily 
increasing.  One  reason  why  they  are  not  used  more 
extensively  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  have  to  be  imported 
into  the  State.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  the  total  amount  used 
is  only  a  small  percentage  of  the  amount  that  should  be 
used.  Every  one  will  admit  that  the  use  of  fertilizers  in 
this  State  is  small  compared  with  their  use  in  Germany,  for 
in  that  country  they  are  used  more  extensively  than  in  any 
other  nation;  yet  Dr.  Maercker,  the  Director  of  the 
Government  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at  Halle, 
Germany,  says  :  "Just  think!  the  consumption  of  potash 
(in  the  fertilizers)  alone  in  Germany  must  increase  700  per 
cent  before  the  normal  demands  of  the  lands  and  farms  are 
met  and  satisfied."  (Arbeiter  der  Deutsches  Landwirth- 
schafts  Gesellschaft  Zusammengestellt  von  G.  Siemssen, 
Berlin,  1896.) 


Food    for 
Plants 


Grass  Growing  for  Profit. 


Timothy  and  related  grasses  feed  heavily  on  Nitrogen ; 
they  are  able  to  transform  it  completely  into  wholesome  and 
digestible  animal  food.  When  full  rations  of  plant  food 
are  present  a  good  crop  of  grass  will  remove  nearly  the 
equivalent  of  the  active  fertilizer  ingredients  of  450  pounds 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda,  300  pounds  muriate  of  potash  and 
200  pounds  of  acid  phosphate.  These  amounts  are  recom- 
mended to  be  applied  per  acre  as  top  dressing  for  grass 
lands ;  and  if  wood  ashes  are  available  200  pounds  per 
acre  will  be  very  beneficial  in  addition  to  the  above.  Grass 
lands  get  sour  easily,  especially  when  old,  and  when  they 
do  one  ton  of  lime  per  acre  should  be  ploughed  in  before 
seeding  down  anew.  The  seeding  must  be  done  before 
September,  and  the  above-mentioned  ration  should  be  used 
as  a  top  dressing  the  following  spring,  as  soon  as  the  grass 
begins  to  show  growth. 

If  all  the  conditions  are  favorable  from  three  to  five 
tons  of  clean  barn-cured  grass,  free  from  weeds,  may 
reasonably  be  expected.  When  grass  crops  are  heavy  and 
run  as  high  as  /\.y2  tons  per  acre  field-cured,  it  is  safe  to 
allow  20  per  cent  shrinkage  in  weight  for  seasoning  and 
drying  down  to  a  barn-cured  basis.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  the 
chief  constituent  of  the  prescribed  ration,  stimulates  the 
grass  early  and  enables  it  to  get  ahead  of  all  weeds,  and  the 
crop  then  feeds  economically  and  fully  on  the  other 
manurial  constituents  present  in  the  fertilizer  mentioned  in 
the  formula  and  present  in  the  soil. 

When  Nitrate  is  around  $50.00  per  ton  and  hay  at 
$  1 6.00  per  ton  the  financial  results  are  very  satisfactory. 
Nitrate  can  be  used  alone  for  a  season  or  two  and  at  very 
great  profit,  but  a  full  grass  ration  is  better  in  the  long  run 
for  both  the  soil  and  crop.  Generally  speaking,  100  pounds 
of  Nitrate,  if  used  under  proper  conditions,  will  produce 
an  increase  of  from  1,000  to  1,200  pounds  of  barn-cured, 
clean  timothy  hay,  the  value  of  which  will  average  from 
1 8. 00  to  $12.00.  The  total  cost  of  the  100  pounds  of 
Nitrate  is  likely  to  average  $2.00  to  $2.50.  Or,  to  put  it 
bv  the  acre,  the  cost  of  the  necessary  450  pounds  of  Nitrate 


will  sum   up  to  from   $8. oo  to  $10.00,  and  the  value  of  the  Food   for 
resulting  increased  hay  crop  will   vield  on  an    average  from   Plants 
£30.00  to  $48.00  per  acre  net  profit.    It  is  therefore  evident 
that  even  with  the  present  increased  cost  of  Nitrate  it  pays 
well  to   use  Nitrate   liberally  on  grass  lands,  and  moreover, 
hay  prices  now  seem  likely  to  advance  still  further. 

A  reliable  formula  for  Grass  Lands  per  acre  : 

300  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

250  lbs.  muriate  of  potash,  or  1,000  pounds  of  wood  ashes. 
300  lbs.  basic  slag  or  Peruvian  guano  or  acid  phosphate. 
1  50  lbs.  air-slaked  lime. 


1 ,000  lbs. 

A  10-pound  sample  of  Nitrate  can  be  secured  free  of 
cost  tor  trial  by  any  one  who  will  furnish  satisfactorv  refer- 
ences, and  you  may  try  it  for  yourself  on  a  plot  twenty  feet 
square.  This  will  be  sent  only  on  condition  that  you  will 
weigh  the  product  of  this  plot  and  the  product  of  a  check 
plot  of  the  same  size  by  its  side  and  report  on  the  respective 
weights  of  the  field-cured  hay  when  you  harvest  the  crop. 
You  will  find  such  a  trial  well  worth  vour  while. 


MAKING  TWO  BLADES  OF  GRASS  GROW. 

Grass  a  Responsive  Crop. 

To  some  farmers  the  idea  of  a  direct  application  of 
stable  manure  or  of  fertilizers  to  meadow  or  pasture  is  a 
strange    one.     "  Grass    is  a    natural    crop,"    they   say ;  "  it 

*  This  article  is  a  summary  of  the  experiments  and  observations  recorded  in  Bulletins  57,  71,82 
and  90  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  of  the  Rhode  Island  College  of  Agriculture  and 
Mechanic  Arts,  and  was  written  by  an  Experiment  Station  Official. 


Food 


Plants 


for  Th    N  f     grows  everywhere  and   needs  no   help  from 

s  ^         c      it         man  if  nature  will  only  provide   moisture." 
Grass  for  Hay.    ^  .  ;  K  .      .  „,, 

I  o    a    certain    extent    this    is    true.      1  he 

thousands  of  fine  roots  of  the  grass  plants,  spreading  in 
every  direction  through  the  soil  and  reaching  almost  every 
quarter-inch  cube  in  the  upper  eight  inches  of  the  field  on 
which  the  grasses  grow,  can  utilize  more  of  the  available 
fertility  than  can  the  roots  of  plants  grown  in  hills  or  drills, 
which  reach  only  with  difficulty  and  late  in  the  life  of  the 
plant  the  more  remote  parts  of  the  soil.  Grasses,  also,  are 
usually  grown  in  a  mixture  of  species,  each  of  which  feeds 
upon  a  slightly  different  combination  of  elements,  so  that 
single  ingredients  in  the  soil  are  not  so  rapidly  exhausted. 
The  grass  tops,  moreover,  shade  the  soil  and  check  evapo- 
ration, so  that  the  moisture  in  the  ground  nearly  all  passes 
through  the  plants  themselves,  bringing  to  them  its  own 
freshness  and  the  stores  of  dissolved  food  which  it  helps  to 
render  available.  Thus  the  grasses  have  been  able,  all 
through  the  earlier  and  middle  stages  of  our  agriculture,  to 
utilize  the  rich  supply  of  fertility  locked  up  in  virgin  soils, 
that  they  might  delight  the  palates  of  feeding  animals  with 
the  crisp  tenderness  of  their  luxuriant  growth,  or  send  up 
the  thick  stand  of  feathered  shafts  which  later  were  cut 
down  to  lie  in  glistening  gray-green  swaths,  presently  to 
ride  in  heaped-up  stateliness  to  their  resting  place  in  stack 
or  mow. 

^  c  ^         Here  seemed  no  need  of  artificial  feeding  ! 

Causes  of  Crop    A     ,  ,         ,  ,  c -\       a 

p  ..        , ,    .         And  even  when  the  grass  began  to  rail  and 

n.  ,  u  ,  .  yields  of  hay  shrank  from  three  or  four 
Old  Methods.      {       ^      ,       y        _     ,    ,r  .  .    ,     . 

tons  to  the  acre    to    hair   or   one-third  the 

amount,  growers  have  usually  thought  they  could  not 
afford  to  feed  directly.  Pasture  grass  is  not  often  con- 
sidered a  cash  crop;  and  meadow  hay  does  not,  perhaps, 
bring  to  the  pocketbook,  when  sold,  quite  as  large  a  revenue 
as  tilled  crops.  So  farmers  have  preferred  to  manure  the 
cultivated  crops  and  to  trust  that  enough  fragments  would 
be  left  over  to  satisfy  the  less  insistent  demands  of  the 
grass.  Of  late,  however,  more  careful  study  of  the  situation 
has  led  progressive  farmers  to  believe  that  the  advantage 
lies  in  a  reversal  of  this  process.  To  give  the  grass  and 
clover  the  best  of  care  and  to  feed  them  liberally,  allowing 
the  neglect   in    feeding,    if  there    be  any,  to   fall   upon  the 


tilled  crops,  is  far  better  than  it  is  to  starve  the  grass  and  Food  for 
put  all  the  added  fertility  on  the  "  cash "  crop.  Why?  Plan,s 
Because  the  very  root  development  and  soil  shading  which  M 
have  enabled  the  grasses  to  utilize  so  well  the  natural  food 
in  the  soil,  also  fit  them  to  gather  most  completely  and  to 
use  most  efficiently  the  scattered  fertility  which  man  dis- 
tributes upon  the  fields.  With  the  added  growth  the 
grasses  make  upon  the  extra  supply  of  food,  there  comes 
an  increase  in  the  number  of  roots  to  fill  the  soil  with 
vegetable  matter,  and  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  scattered 
leaves,  broken  stems  and  refuse  matter  on  the  surface, — all 
of  which  is  of  inestimable  advantage  to  subsequent  crops. 
The  soil  is  thus  made  fine  and  porous ;  the  decay  of  green 
vegetable  matter  forms  acids  which  set  free  additional  plant 
food  from  the  particles  of  earth ;  and  the  accumulated 
humus  makes  the  ground  like  a  sponge  to  hold  moisture 
for  the  next  crop. 

Properly    proportioned   mineral    fertili- 
zers have  a  great  and  profitable  effect  upon  p  e     ar* 

the  yield  of  hay  from   treated  fields,   as  is   »,.ye   .  Zt 

i     ,      ,       \  ,        ,  Mineral  Chemi- 

most    clearly    shown     by    the    experiments       .  p      ... 

here     discussed;    and    they     improve    the 

quality  of  the  hay,  as  well.      As  shown,  such  a  fertilizer  for 

grasses  must  contain  a  liberal    amount  of  a  readily  soluble 

form  of  Nitrogen.      Clover  can  get  along  very  well  without 

Nitrogenous  fertilizers,  as  it  has  the  power  to  draw  upon 

the  store  of  Nitrogen  in  the  air;  but  the  true  grasses  lack 

this  ability,  and,  though  they  may   be  well    provided  with 

phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  are  not  able  in  the  absence  of 

a  supply  of  readily   available  Nitrogen    to   compete  with 

clover  when  sown  in  a  mixture  with  it.      In  consequence  of 

this  fact,  mixed  hay  is  quite  likely  to   be  largely  clover  the 

first  year  after  sowing   and   therefore    of  less   value  in  the 

market   than    the    highly    prized    "clear    timothy."       The 

addition    of   Nitrogen    in    the    quickly     soluble     form    of 

Nitrate  of  Soda  gives  to  the  grasses  a  supply  of  food  which 

promotes   luxuriant   growth    and    thus    furnishes  just    the 

impulse  they   need  to  keep  them  abreast   of  the  clover,  or 

ahead  of  it,  and  also   to  improve  the  quality  of  the   hay  to 

a  very  striking  degree. 


Food  for  Conditions  of  the  Experiments. 

Plants 

92        w/L     tt      n  For  many  years  the  Rhode  Island  Agricul- 

What  Has  Been  i  c        ■        .  c  .•       u  •  f 

~  tural  Experiment  Station  has  carried  on  a 

Proven  in  /     i  *  j  .u     l  l  r 

~,     .    T  ,      ,       series  or    plat   tests;  and  the    behavior  or 
Rhode  Island.       ,      ,  r  V  c    .  ,        r 

the   hay  crop   on   three  or  these  plats  for 

four   successive   years    has    thrown    much   light   upon  the 

problem  of  maintaining  the    fertility    of  our  pastures  and 

meadows. 

Up  to  the  year  1893  the  treatment  of  these  plats,  for 
many  years,  had  been  identical.  From  1893  to  ! 898  the 
plats  received  annually  the  same  amounts  of  phosphoric 
acid  in  the  form  of  high-grade  phosphate  and  of  potash  as 
muriate.  One  plat  received  no  Nitrogen  during  this  time 
and  probably  had  received  none  for  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
years;  the  second  plat  was  given  annually,  early  in  the 
spring,  an  application  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  at  the  rate  of  150 
pounds  to  the  acre;  and  the  third  plat  received  three  times 
as  much  Nitrate,  450  pounds  to  the  acre. 

All  the  plats  were  used  for  the  growth  of  leguminous 
crops  during  most  of  this  period.  In  1897  all  the  plats 
were  sown  to  barley  and  were  treated  with  air-slaked  lime  to 
correct  the  acidity  or  "  sourness,"  which  is  a  characteristic 
of  much  of  the  soil  of  Rhode  Island. 

On  April  23,  1898,  the  plats  were  again  sown  to  barley 
and  seeded  down  with  a  mixture  of  seeds, — red  clover  and 
red  top,  Jj4  pounds  each,  and  timothy  15  pounds. 

The  fertilizer  applications  were  continued  as  before, — 
equal  quantities  of  phosphoric  acid  and  potash*  on  all  plats, 
no  Nitrogen  on  one,  l/$  ration  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  on  the 
next  and  full  ration  of  Nitrate  on  the  third.  These 
materials  were  all  applied  broadcast  as  a  top-dressing  early 
in  the  spring. 


Effect  of  Nitrate  on  Yields. 

Since  all  the  other  fertilizers  were  alike  for  the  three 
plats  and  had  been  for   many   years,   and  since  the  general 

*  The  amounts  of  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  varied  from  year  to  year  ;  of  phosphoric 
acid  the  actual  weights  per  acre  were  164,  191,  130  and  130  pounds  for  the  successive  years  $ 
of  potash,  88^,  90^,  100  and  150  pounds. 


character    of   the    soil    and    the    treatments    the    plats    had   Food   for 
received  were  uniform,  any  differences  must  be  ascribed  to   Plants 
the  influence  of  the  varying  quantities  of  Nitrate  of  Soda.         M 
These  differences,  so  far  as  they  are  shown  by  the  weights 
of  the  crops  for  four  years  are  given  in  brief  below  : 


Yield  of  Cured  Hay  Under  Different  Rates 
of  Nitrogenous  Fertilization. 

Yield  of  Cured  Hay. 

,  „    .  ...  1899.  1900.  1901.  1902.  Average 

Nitrate  of  Soda  applied.  ™  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

None 5»°7S  4,000  3,290  2,950  3,830 

1  50  lbs.  per  acre*  ...  .6,300  5,600  5,55°  4,850  5,575 

450  lbs.  per  acre  *...  .6,91  3  8,200  9,390  8,200  8,175 

*  Amount  slightly  reduced  in  1901  and  1902. 

These  figures  show  a  uniform,  consistent  w,,       . 

and    marked    advantage    from    the    use  of  c.  c, 

XT.  ,     ,        g.         r  ■       1  •     Figures  Show. 

Nitrogen;  and  the  effect  or  its  absence  is 

shown  by  the  steady  decline  of  the  yields  on  the  no- Nitrate 

plat  from  year  to  year.    In  each  year  the  use  of  150  pounds 

of   Nitrate    gave    increased    yields    over  the   plat   without 

Nitrogen,   the  gain  varying   from    1,200  to   almost    2,300 

pounds,  an  average  gain  of  about  seven-eighths  of  a  ton  of 

hay.     Three   times     this   amount   of  Nitrate    did    not,  of 

course,  give  three   times  as  much   hay,  but  it  so  materially 

increased  the  yield  as  to  show  that  it  was  all  used  to  good 

advantage  except,  perhaps,  in  the   second   year.     This  was 

an  exceptionally  dry  year  and  but  one  crop  could  be  cut. 

The  advantage  from   the   Nitrate   showed  strikingly  in  the 

production   of  a  rapid    and   luxurious   early   growth  while 

moisture  was  still  available.     This  supply  of  readily  soluble 

food  comes  just  when  it  is  most  needed,   since  the    natural 

change  of  unavailable    forms   of  Nitrogen  in  the  soil  to  the 

soluble  Nitrates  proceeds  very  slowly  during  the  cool,  moist 

weather  of  spring.    The  full  ration  of  Nitrogen,  450  pounds 

of  Nitrate,  more  than  doubled  the  yield  of  hay  over  that 

produced  on  the  no-Nitrate  plat  in    1900  and  in  the   next 

two  years  it  nearly  tripled  the  yield.      The  average  increase 

over  the  1  50  pound  plat  was  one  and  three-tenths  tons  and 

over  the  plat  without  Nitrogen  was  two  and  five-eighths  tons. 


Effect  on  Quality  of  Hay. 

How  Modern  ^lmost  as  marked,  and  certainly  more 
Methods  surprising  and  unexpected,  was   the    effect 

Improve  the  oftne  Nitrate  upon  the  quality  of  the  hay 
Quality  of  the  Produced-  During  the  first  season  the 
j_l         '  clover  was,  naturally,  at  its  best,  and  upon 

the  plat  without  Nitrogen  it  made  almost 
all  of  the  hay ;  since,  as  stated,  the  clover,  by  means  of 
bacteria  dwelling  in  the  nodules  on  its  roots,  is  able  to 
secure  Nitrogen  from  the  air.  Consequently  it  made  good 
growth  on  this  plat  where  the  grasses  could  secure  only  a 
limited  supply  of  food  to  promote  luxuriance.  On  the 
other  plats,  on  the  contrary,  the  Nitrate  helped  the  grasses 
in  their  competition  with  the  clover.  The  red  top  and 
timothy  made  up  two-thirds  of  the  first  cutting  of  hay  on 
the  second  plat  and  one-fourth  of  the  later  cutting ;  while 
on  the  third  plat,  with  the  ample  supply  of  Nitrogenous 
food,  the  grasses  made  up  nearly  all  of  the  hay  first  cut  and 
three-fourths  of  the  second  cutting.  In  the  second  season 
the  clover  had  practically  been  crowded  out  of  the  two 
Nitrate  plats,  but  it  made  a  scattering  growth  on  the  first 
plat. 

The  hay  from  the  plats  during  the  first  season  was  of 
such  diverse  character  that  different  ton  values  had  to  be 
placed  upon  it  in  estimating  the  profit  from  the  use  of 
fertilizers.  That  from  the  no-Nitrate  plat,  since  it  con- 
tained so  much  clover  at  both  cuttings,  was  considered 
worth  only  $9.00  a  ton;  the  first  cutting  on  the  small 
Nitrogen  ration  was  valued  at  $12.00  and  the  second 
cutting  at  $  1 0.00 ;  while  $  1 6.00  and  $  1 2.00  were  the  values 
given  to  the  first  and  second  cuttings  respectively  on  the 
plat  receiving  the  full  ration  of  Nitrate.  These  values  show 
clearly  how  great  was  the  influence  of  the  Nitrogen  in 
developing  the  grasses. 

But  the  reduction  in  the  percentage  of  clover  was  not 
the  only  benefit  to  the  quality  of  the  hay.  The  Nitrate 
also  decreased  the  proportion  of  red  top  as  compared  with 
the  finer  timothy.  This  tendency  was  noticed  in  the  second 
year,  when  a  count  of  the  stalks  on  selected  equal  and 
typical  areas  showed  13%  of  timothy  on  the  150  pound 
plat  and  44%  on   the  450  pound   plat.      In  the  third  year 


the  percentages  of  timothy  were  39%  and  67%,  respectively,   Food   for 

and    in    the    fourth   vear   the   differences    were   even    more   Plants 

marked.  ^ 

Timothy    is    a    grass    which     will     not  An  Alkaline 

tolerate  an  acid  soil   and  it  is  probable  that  ^  Nece 

the  liming  given   these   plats   in    1897    did 

not  make  them  as  "sweet"  as   would  have   been    best  for 

this  crop.     Now,  when  Nitrate  of  Soda   is  used   by  plants, 

more  of  the  nitric  acid  is  used  than  of  the  soda  and  a  certain 

portion  of  the  latter,  which   is   an   alkali,  is   „        »,. 

left  to  combine  with  other  free  acids  of  the  NT     .    ,.        c   .. 

..       _,,.     ...      ..  ,.  ,         .,  Neutralizes  Soil 

soil.      I  his,  like  lime,  neutralizes  the  acids  ...         , 

.     ,  '„     ,  .,     C         ,  Acids  and 

and    thus    "  sweetens       the    sou     tor     the  c        ,     a   . 

,  0    ,  ,  ,  Sweetens  the 

timothy.      Ked  top,  on    the   contrary,  does  <>   .. 

well  on  soils  which  are  slightly  acid,  and  so 

would    have    the   advantage    over    timothv    in    a    soil    not 

perfectly  sweet.      With  the   assistance  of  the    soda  set  free 

from  the  Nitrate,  the  timothy  was   more  than  able  to  hold 

its  own  and  thus  to  make   what   the   market  calls  a  finer, 

better  hav;  and  since  the  market  demands  timothv  and  pays 

for  it,    the   farmer  who  sells    hay   is  wise  if  he  meets  the 

demand. 


Financial  Profit  from  Use  of  Nitrate. 

Frequently  more  plant  food  is  paid  for  ._.  »  p 
and  put  on  the  land  than  the  crop  can 
possibly  use,  the  excess  being  entirely  thrown  away,  or,  at 
best,  saved  to  benefit  some  subsequent  crop.  This  was 
far  from  the  case  in  these  trials.  Indeed,  it  was  found  by 
analvsis  of  the  hay  that  more  potash  was  removed  by  the 
crops  of  the  first  two  years  than  had  been  added  in  the 
muriate  used,  consequently  the  amount  applied  upon  each 
plat  was  increased  in  1901  and  in  1902.  The  Nitrogen 
requirement  of  the  crops  was  found  to  be  slightly  less  than 
was  supplied  in  450  pounds  of  Nitrate  and  the  amount  was 
reduced  to  400  pounds  in  1901  and  to  415  pounds  in 
1902.  The  Nitrate  on  the  second  plat  was  also  reduced 
in  proportion.  The  phosphoric  acid,  however,  was  probably 
in  considerable  excess  since  liming  sets  free  phosphoric  acid 
already  in  the  soil  and  so  lessens  the  apparent  financial 
profit ;  but  not  to  an  excessive  degree. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Quantity  of  Fertilizer  Required  for  Hay  Crop. 

As  a  guide  in  making  up  fertilizers  for  grass,  the  follow- 
ing figures  based  on  the  analyses  made  during  these  experi- 
ments will  be  of  interest. 

Fertilizer  Elements  in  Crop  of  Grass  Hay. 


Removed  in  Crop. 


Fertilizers  Needed  to  Replace. 


Nitrogen 

Phosphoric  acid . 

Potash 


T  In  crop  of 

In  I  ton  ,, 

9,390  lbs. 


Lbs. 

I  I.67 
6.58 


54.8 


Nitrate  of  Soda 

30.9    :Acid  phosphate. 
(16  per  ct.) 
32.31        1  5  1.7     Muriate  of  potash .     64 


For  crop  of 

For  1  ton.  J  9,390  lbs. 

(41-5  tons) 

Lbs.  Lbs. 

74.2  348.4 

41. I  193. I 


304.2 


In  calculating  the  profit  from  the  use  of  fertilizers  only 
the  fertilizer  cost  of  the  crop  was  considered,  the  labor  and 
the  rent  of  the  land  being  left  out  of  account.  The  exact 
cost  of  the  materials  used  was  taken  and  the  hay  was  rated 
at  a  low  market  value,  due  regard  being  paid  to  quality,  as 
indicated  on  page  94. 

Since  only  the  amount  of  Nitrogen  differed  on  the  three 
plats  it  may  be  well  to  consider  first  the  gain  from  its  use. 
This  is  shown  below  : 


Profit  from  Use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Value  of  crop 

without 
Nitrate. 

150  lb.  Plat. 

450  lb.  Plat. 

Year. 

Cost  of 

Nitrate. 

Value  of 
crop. 

Gain. 

Cost  of         Value  of        ~  . 

-,.      .                                    Gain. 
Nitrate.            crop. 

1899 
I90O 
I90I 
I902 
Average 

$18.27 
25.60 
21.99 
20.48 
21.58 

S3-00 

3-3° 
2.94 
3. II 
3-°9 

$29.52 
35-85 
36.77 
32.67 
33-70 

$    6.25 
6.95 

II.84 
9.08 
9.05 

$9.00         $40.80     $13.53 
9.90             52.48         16.98 

8.81          59-37      28.57 
9.32         55.10      25.30 
9.24         51.99      21.17 

But  the  Nitrate  was  efficient  not  alone  by  itself,  but 
through  the  stimulus  it  gave  the  plants  it  caused  better 
utilization  of  the  other  elements  of  plant  food.  To  get, 
therefore,  the  full  measure  of  its  value,  we  must  consider  it 
as  an  element  in  the  complete  fertilizer  and  calculate  the 
profit  on  this  basis.  These  figures  show  the  following  gains  : 


Excess  of  Value  of  Hay  Over  Cost  of  Fertilizers.  Food  for 

Plants 

Nitrate  of  Soda  D  .  

applied.  l899-  IO°°-  '901-  IQ°*-  Average.  97 

None $   6.09    $13-42    $12.13    $   7-44    $   9-77 

150  lbs.* '4-34     20.37     23.97     16.52     18.80 

450  lbs.* 19.62     3°-4°     40.70     32.74     30.86 

*  Slightly  reduced  in  1901  and  1902. 

Practical  Conclusions. 

From  these  striking  results  it  must  be  evident  that  grass 
land  as  well  as  tilled  fields  is  greatly  benefited  by  fertilizers  ; 
and  that  it  would  be  to  the  advantage  of  most  farmers  to 
improve  the  fertility  of  their  soils  by  growing  good  crops 
of  grass,  aided  thereto  by  liberal  fertilizing. 

The  application  should  be  in  the  form       T       n 

of  a  top  dressing,  applied  very  early  in   the       ^         T 

•        j      lu  FKu     c    J  u  Grass  Lands. 

spring  in  order  that  the    first   growth    may 

find  readily  available  material  for  its  support  and  be  carried 
through  the  season  with  no  check  from   partial  starvation. 

On  land  which  shows  any  tendency  to  sourness,  a  ton 
to  the  acre  of  slaked  lime  should  be  used  every  five  or  six 
years.  This  makes  the  land  sweet  and  promotes  the  growth 
of  grass  plants  of  the  best  kinds. 

Lime  should  be  sown  upon  the  furrows  and  harrowed 
into  the  soil.  Top  dressing  with  lime  after  seeding  will  not 
answer,  and,  in  the  case  of  very  acid  soils,  the  omission  of 
lime  at  the  proper  time  will  necessitate  re-seeding  to  secure 
a  good  stand  of  grass. 

All  the  elements   of  fertility  are  essen-      p  .     . 

tial  so  that   ordinarily   complete  fertilizers         ",  t-.     c.    , . 
.      1  j  1  1    .l        u  -i      •  l      and  Profitable 

should  be  used,  though  on  some  soils   rich      ,-, 

in  phosphoric  acid  or  potash,  one  or  both 
of  these  ingredients  may  be  used  in  smaller  quantity  than 
usually  recommended.  This  is  particularly  true  of  phos- 
phoric acid  after  lime  has  been  applied  to  the  soil,  since 
lime  aids  to  set  the  phosphoric  acid  free  from  its  natural 
combinations  in  the  soil  which  are  insoluble  and  so  useless 
to  plants. 

Grass  on  this  soil  demands  less  phosphoric  acid  than 
was  applied  in  the  test;  and  it  responds  with  increasing 
profit  to  applications  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  up  to  at  least  350 
pounds  to  the  acre. 


Food   for         On  such  soils  as  that  of  these   plats  the  best  fertilizer 
ants  combination  for  annual  application  appears  to  be  : 
98  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate. 

200-250  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 
350  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

No  stable  manure  is  supposed  to  have  been  used  upon 
the  field  under  experiment  for  at  least  twenty  years. 

Bulletin  No.  46  of  the  Rhode  Island  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  or  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  77  published 
by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  tells  how 
and  when  to  use  lime.  The  details  of  the  experiment  here 
referred  to  are  to  be  found  in  Bulletins  Nos.  82  and  90, 
issued  by  the  Rhode  Island  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 

MiWafti  o  .„  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  men- 
Nitrate  or  Soda  ,'  r  ,  ..  „r  ,_  „,  ,  r 
„  TT  ,  .  tion  the  fact  that  Mr.  George  M.  Clark,  of 
as  Used  in  TT.  r,  ,  5  .  '  , 
Clark's  Grass  Hlgganum>  Conn,  whose  success  mob- 
Cultivation  taming  remarkably  large  yields  or  hay  for  a 
number  of  years,  an  average  of  9  tons  of 
cured  hay  per  acre  for  1 1  years  in  succession,  has  been 
heralded  throughout  the  United  States,  attributes  his  suc- 
cess largely  to  the  liberal  dressings  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  which 
he  invariably  applies  to  his  fields  early  in  the  spring,  and 
which  starts  the  grass  off  with  such  a  vigorous  growth  as  to 
shade  and  crowd  out  all  noxious  weeds  before  they  get 
fairly  started  and  which  results  in  a  large  crop  of  clean  and 
high  priced  hav. 

,t  ^  e  1  It  is  also  known  that  many  who  have  tested 
How  Careful       ,.  111  •  L   r  m  l-  n 

r^  ,  .      .  his  methods  have  met  with   failure  chiefly 

Cultivation  ,  ,  .         ,  ,      , 

May  Aid  in  the  because  they  neglected  to  supply  the  young 
Profitable  Use  grass  Plan*s  witn  a  sufficient  amount  of 
of  Nitrate  readily  available  food  for  their  use  early  in 

the  spring  when  most  needed,  and  before 
the  organic  forms  of  Nitrogen,  which  exist  in  the  soil  only 
in  an  insoluble  form  and  which  cannot  be  utilized  by  the 
plants  as  food  until  converted  into  soluble  forms  by  the 
action  of  bacteria  in  the  soil  (and  this  does  not  occur  to  any 
great  extent  until  the  soil  warms  up  to  a  temperature  of 
about  70  degrees  Fahr. )  which  is  too  late  in  the  season  to 
benefit  the  early  spring  crops. 

It  is  important  that  we  always  bear  in  mind  the  fact 
that  our  only  source  of  Nitrogen  in  the  soil  for  all  plants 


(except  the  legumes)  is  the  remnants  of  former  crops  (roots,  Food   for 

stems,  dead  leaves,  weeds,  etc.)  in  different  stages  of  de-  plants 

composition,  and  that  in  the  early  spring  there  is  always  a 
scarcity  of  Nitrogen  in  the  soil  in  an  available  form  for  the 
reason  that  the  most  of  that  which  was  converted  into 
soluble  forms  by  the  action  of  the  soil  bacteria  during  the 
warm  summer  months  of  the  previous  summer  was  either 
utilized  by  the  plants  occupying  the  ground  at  that  time  or 
has  been  washed  down  below  the  reach  of  the  roots  of  the 
young  plants  by  the  melting  snow  and  the  heavy  rains  of 
winter  and  early  spring. 

And  when  we  consider  the  fact  that  most  plants  require 
and  take  up  about  75/  of  their  total  Nitrogen  Ammoniate 
during  the  earlier  stages  or  vegetative  period  of  their  growth 
and  that  Nitrogen  is  the  element  most  largely  entering  into 
the  building  up  of  the  life  principle  or  protoplasm  of  all 
plant  life,  it  is  plainly  to  be  seen  that  we  cannot  afford  to 
jeopardize  the  chances  of  our  future  plant  by  affording  an 
insufficient  supply  of  immediately  available  Nitrogen  when 
most  needed  by  the  plant. 


Food    for 
Plan 


°tTs  Nitrate   of  Soda   Experiments 

At  the 

North  Carolina  State  Horticultural  Society's 

Experiment  Farm 

At 

Southern  Pines,  N.  C, 

During  Years  1898,  1899,  1900. 


The  Experiment  Farm  at  Southern  Pines,  North 
Carolina,  was  established  in  1875.  The  soil  is  sandy,  con- 
taining little  clay  or  vegetable  matter  in  the  form  of  humus. 
It  is  a  typical  soil  of  the  long-leaf  pine  belt,  and  contains 
in  a  natural  state  very  little  available  plant  food.  The 
Experiment  Farm  is  within  a  short  distance  of  the  village 
of  Southern  Pines,  about  sixty-six  miles  southwest  from 
Raleigh,  on  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railway.  The  Farm  is 
divided  into  two  sections;  the  Fruit  Farm  of  some  65  acres, 
and  the  Vegetable  Farm  comprising  about  50  acres. 

The  climate  is  suitable  for  general  fruit  culture,  the 
mean  temperature  being  about  60  degrees  Fahrenheit ;  the 
spring  and  autumn  means  are  about  60  degrees,  the  summer 
mean  77  and  the  winter  mean  44.  Rain  occurs  frequently 
in  July  and  August,  and  the  snow  fall  is  very  light. 

The  Fruit  Farm  comprises  seven  series  of  plots,  29 
plots  to  the  series,  and  each  plot  one-tenth  of  an  acre.  The 
seven  series  are  as  follows:  I,  Small  Fruits;  II,  Grapes; 
III,  Peaches;  IV,  Plums;  V,  Pears;  VI,  Apples  ;  VII, 
Chestnuts  and  Persimmons.  Each  series  extends  completely 
across  the  farm,  that  inequalities  in  the  soil  may  so  far  as 
possible  be  equalized.  The  general  tillage  of  the  plots 
includes  a  cultivation  every  ten  to  twelve  days,  level  and 
shallow.  Two  plots  of  each  series  are  unfertilized,  the 
remainder  being  treated  with  various  combinations  of  ferti- 
lizers designed  to  determine  the  crop-making  power  of 
Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  and  potash  ;  also  lime  and  green 
manuring  as  a  source  of  Nitrogen.  Cow  peas  are  used  in 
the  green  manuring  experiments. 

The  Vegetable  Farm  comprises  eight  series  of  plots  ot 
10  plots  each,  and  each  plot  one-twentieth  of  an  acre.  The 
cultivation  is  uniformly  such    as   the    best   farming  practice 


gives  the  crops  under  investigation.      The  fertilizer  experi-  Food   for 
ments  are  conducted  on  this  farm  similarly  to  those  of  the  Plants 
Fruit  Farm,  though  less  in  detail.  lul 

As  the  soil  was  broken  for  the  first  time  in  189$,  the 
various  plantings  suffered  from  the  ills  natural  to  a  new 
soil.  We  review  here  the  results  for  the  years  1898,  1899, 
and  1900,  and  in  a  few  cases  1901,  treating  only  of  those 
plots  relating  to  experiments  with  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

Results  on  the  Fruit  Farm. 

For  the  purpose  of  convenient  general  comparison  of 
the  growth  on  the  various  plots,  the  diameters  of  the  vines 
and  trees  were  measured  at  a  uniform  distance  from  the 
ground,  the  object  being  to  show  the  growth  effect  of  any 
particular  fertilizer  combination  by  comparing  the  average 
diameter  of  the  plants  on  the  unfertilized  plot  with  that  of 
the  plants  on  the  plot  fertilized.  The  potash  and  phos- 
phoric acid  were  applied  in  the  spring,  the  Nitrate  of  Soda 
half  early  in  the  growing  season  and  the  remainder  from 
three  to  five  weeks  later. 

On  the  grape  series  two  varieties  were  planted,  Delaware 
and  Niagara.  The  following  table  shows  the  fertilizer 
applied  per  acre,  and  the  growth  of  vines  as  indicated 
by  the  average  diameter  of  the  vines  in  each  plot.  For 
convenient  comparison  these  measurements  are  computed 
to  percentage  of  increased  growth  as  compared  with  the 
growth  made  on  the  unfertilized  plot. 

Grapes — "Delaware." 

Plot  Fertilizers  applied.  Per  cent  gained  over  unfertilized  soil. 

No.        Nitrate.  Acid  Phos.      Muriate  Potash. 

15  63  lbs.    400  lbs.    100  lbs. 

16  250  "    400  "     IOO  " 

17  375  "    +00  "  100  " 

22  125  "    400  "    200  " 

23  None     400  "     200  "  (g.m.) 

The  letters  "G.M."  indicate  that  plot  23  was  given  the 
green  manure  treatment;  that  is,  an  extra  application  of 
mineral  fertilizers  was  made  and  cow  peas  planted  between 
the  rows,  the  object  being  to  determine  if  legume  nitrogen 
can  be  utilized  to  replace  Nitrate  of  Soda.  The  average 
gain  made  by  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  was  ././  per  cent,  while 
the  green  manure  reached   but   29    per  cent.     The  general 


1898. 

1899. 

1900 

Average. 

26% 

3i% 

32% 

30% 

31  " 

55  " 

38» 

41  " 

45  " 

85  « 

63  » 

64  " 

40  " 

49  " 

43  " 

44  " 

31  " 

27  " 

29  << 

29" 

Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  21.)     Grapes.      Without  fertilizer, 


*/.  _  *,  t  -^  **.*,"  ,*•     .  "v  - 1  „ .-  ■'. 

| 

. 

r^^piPnni** "                       /;•**% 

* ' -,,- 

(Plot   16.)     Grapes.      Fertilizer — 250  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  +00  lbs.   acid  phosphate  and 
100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


results    show    a    very    considerable   gain    from    the    use    of  Food   for 

Nitrate  of  Soda,  and   also   that   this  gain    increased  as  the  Plants 
Nitrate  was  increased.   The  following  table  gives  the  similar  103 

data  for  the  Niagara  grapes  : 


Plots. 

Fertilizers  applied 

Per  cent  gained  ov 

er  unfertilized  soil. 

No. 

Nitrate. 

Acid  Phos. 

Muriate  Potash. 

1898. 

1899. 

1900. 

Average. 

'5 

63  lbs. 

400  lbs. 

IOO  lbs. 

8% 

3i% 

32% 

24% 

16 

250     " 

400    " 

IOO    " 

35  " 

47  « 

43  " 

42" 

»7 

375   " 

400    " 

IOO    " 

67  » 

57  " 

57  " 

60  " 

22 

125   << 

400    " 

200    " 

41  " 

24  » 

43  " 

36  » 

23 

None 

400    " 

200     "(G.M.) 

0  " 

16  " 

29  « 

15  " 

fives 


The  peach  series  compared  in  the  same  manner  gi 
the  figures  in  the  following  table,  the   fertilizer  applications 
remaining  the  same  as  in  the  grapes  series  : 


Plots. 

1898. 

1899. 

1900. 

A  verage 

'5 

31% 

3i% 

32% 

31% 

16 

44  " 

44  " 

36" 

41  " 

17 

56« 

56" 

48  « 

53  » 

22 

44  " 

44  " 

24  << 

37  " 

23  (g.m.) 

28  " 

28  " 

20  " 

25  » 

As  in  the  grapes  series,  the  increasing  applications  of 
Nitrate  are  accompanied  by  increased  growth,  also  the  green 
manure  experiment  fails  to  show  values  equal  to  the  direct 
use  of  Nitrate.  In  the  plum  series  six  varieties  were 
planted,  varying  so  widely  in  type  that  no  general  com- 
parison can  be  made  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  The 
figures  for  the  pears  series  are  as  follows,  the  fertilizer 
applications  being  the  same  as  in  the  grapes  series  of  plots: 


Plots. 

1898. 

1S99. 

1900. 

Average 

'5 

36% 

z$% 

17% 

26% 

16 

27    " 

M  " 

45  " 

40" 

17 

27    « 

42  » 

57  " 

42  « 

22 

23    « 

33  " 

39  " 

32" 

23  (g.m.) 

O    " 

8  << 

32  « 

13  " 

Plot  11  received  only  half  the  Nitrate  application  made 
on  plot  16  but  twice  the  potash,  the  object  being  to  more 
directly  compare  plot  11  with  plot  23,  the  latter  having  the 
increased  potash  to  provide  for  the  legume,  cow  peas,  and 
the  Nitrogen  assimilated  from  the  air  by  the  growth  of 
same.  Invariably  in  these  experiments  the  legume  plot 
falls  behind  the  Nitrate  plots,  though  the  Nitrogen  supplied 
by  the  green   manure  is  probably   greater  in   quantity  than 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  22.)      Peaches. 


Fertilizer — 125  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and 
200  lbs.  muriate   of  potash. 


(Plot  23.) 


Peaches.      Fertilizer — 400  lbs.  acid   phosphate  and  200  lbs.  r 
Cow  peas  were  planted  as  a  source  of  Nitrogen,  but  the  results  were 
unfavorable  as  compared  with  Plot  22. 

No  Nitrate. 


Plants 


that  supplied  in  the  form  of  Nitrate.     The  reason  may  be     Food  for 
that  the  moisture  required  by  the  cow  peas  leaves  an  insufficiency 
for  the  growth  of  the  plants ;   however,  whatever  the  cause 
may  be,  the  facts  are  that  the  green   manure  fails  to  accom- 
plish the  economic  results  reached  by  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

The  following  table  gives  the  similar  results  for  the 
apple  series,  the  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  applications 
being  omitted  from  the  table,  being  the  same  on  all  the 
plots,  except  Nos.  22  and  23,  which  received  200  pounds 
instead  of  100  pounds  as  on  plots  15,  16  and  17. 

Plots.      Nitrate  of  Soda.  1898.  1899.  1900.  Average. 

15  63  lbs.       46%     36%     46%     43% 

16  250  "      36  "    55  "    61  "    51  " 

17  375  "      55  «<    73  <<    61  -    63  " 

22  125  "      45  «    55  »    46  "    49  " 

23    (g.m.)   37  "    36  "    46  "    40  " 

The  regularity  with  which  the  increase  in  the  Nitrate 
fertilizing  is  accompanied  by  increases  in  growth,  is  very 
striking.  With  apples,  the  green  manure  seems  to  have 
done  somewhat  less  damage  than  in  the  series  previously 
given. 

The  Crop  Results. 

Among  the  small  fruits,  strawberries  alone  made  suffi- 
ciently even  growth  to  be  of  value  in  studying  the  fertilizer 
question,  and  these  were  replanted  in  1899,  so  tnat  we  nave 
data  only  for  1898,  there  being  no  crop  in  1900.  The 
results  stated  in  pounds  per  acre  are  given  in  the  following 
table,  the  acid  phosphate  being  400  pounds  per  acre  for 
each  plot,  and  the  potash  being  100  pounds  of  muriate  for 
each  plot,  except  plots  22  and  23,  which  received  200 
pounds  per  acre. 

e  of  Soda.  1898. 

lbs.  1,026  lbs. 

1,381    " 

"  2,060   " 

"  2, 1 50   " 

1,384   " 
"  (g.m.)  1,091    " 

When  these  figures  are  arranged  for  convenient  com- 
parison, the  results  are  more  clear.  For  example,  for 
every  ioo  pounds  of  strawberries  produced  on  the  unferti- 


Plots. 

Nitrat 

2  I 

O 

•5 

63 

16 

250 

17 

37  5 

22 

125 

23 

0 

Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  ai.)     Apples.      No  fertilizer. 


(Plot   17.       Apples.      Fertilizer — 375   lbs.   Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and 
100  lb6.    muriate  of  potash. 


lized  soil,  a  fertilizer  application  of  63  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Food  for 
Soda,  400  pounds  of  acid  phosphate  and  too  pounds  of  Plants 
muriate  of  potash  produced  135  pounds  of  strawberries,  a 
gain  due  to  the  fertilizer  of  35  per  cent.  When  the  Nitrate 
of  Soda  application  was  increased  to  250  pounds  to  the  acre 
the  crop  gain  was  10 1  per  cent,  and  when  the  Nitrate  was 
increased  to  375  pounds  the  gain  was  no  per  cent.  The 
green  manuring  experiment  was  unfavorable  to  the  green 
manure;  the  fertilizer  application  containing  125  pounds  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre  produced  a  crop  gain  of  37  per 
cent;  when  the  cow  peas  were  substituted  for  the  Nitrate 
the  gain  was  only  6  per  cent. 

The  crop  returns  on  the  grape  plots  show  considerable 
unevenness,  the  yields  for  1898  being  particularly  light, 
owing  to  bad  weather ;  comparatively,  however,  this  does 
not  affect  the  results  as  showing  the  efficiency  of  the  com- 
binations of  fertilizers  used.  The  following  tables  show 
the  yields  of  fruit  in  pounds  per  acre. 

Delaware  Grapes. 


Nitrate 

Acid 

Muriate 

Pounds  pe 

r acre. 

Plot;- 

Soda. 

Phosphate. 

Potash. 

1898. 

1899. 

1900. 

Average. 

21 

0  lbs. 

O  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

1,425 

7,396 

6,l8o 

5,000 

15 

63  « 

400    " 

IOO    " 

2,855 

12,144 

12,240 

9,080 

l6 

250  << 

400    " 

IOO    " 

3,920 

13,372 

I  2,420 

9,904 

17 

375    " 

400    " 

IOO    " 

3»735 

15,652 

14,320 

I  1,236 

22 

125    << 

400    " 

ZOO    " 

3,650 

12,628 

I  2,280 

9,519 

23 

Green  manure 

400    " 

200    " 

Niagara 

3,290 
Grapes 

1 1,080 

10,820 

8,397 

Plot 

Nitrate 

Acid 

Muriate 

Pounds  per 

acre. 

C      J 

Soda. 

Phosphate. 

Potash. 

1898. 

1899. 

1900. 

Average. 

21 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

i»995 

7,492 

3,980 

4,490 

'5 

63  « 

400    " 

IOO    " 

2,275 

13,488 

4,200 

6,654 

16 

250  << 

400    " 

IOO     " 

3,650 

H,363 

9,260 

9,091 

l7 

375   " 

400    '* 

IOO     " 

3,975 

19,204 

9,120 

10,766 

22 

125   << 

400    " 

200  " 

3,610 

11,956 

7,500 

7,689 

23" 

Green  manure  4°°    " 

200  " 

2,790 

8,208 

6,340 

5,779 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  considerable  difference 
in  the  yield  of  the  two  varieties  of  grapes,  due  largely  to 
maturing  periods  of  the  two  types.  For  comparison, 
the  average  of  the  two  varieties  is  taken ;  the  following 
table  shows  the  gain  over  the  unfertilized  soil  due  to  the 
different  fertilizer  combinations  : 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot   16.)      Pears. 


Fertilizer — 250   lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.   acid  phosphate    and 
100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


lots. 

Nitrate. 

Gain 

over  unfertilized  soil. 

Food    for 

15 

63  lbs. 

250  << 

62 
IOO 

per  cent. 

Plants 

16 

109 

17 

375   " 

132 

' ' 

22 

125   <« 

8l 

" 

23 

Green  manure 

49 

" 

As  in  the  crop  results  with  strawberries,  the  effect  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  is  to  increase  crops  with  considerable 
uniformity  ;  also,  the  green  manure  fails  to  give  results  in 
proportion  to  the  claims  so  commonly  made  for  that  method  of 
Nitrogen  manuring. 

The  peach  series  fruited  with  some  uniformity  for  the 
first  time  in  1900,  and  the  crop  results  as  shown  by  the 
following  table  demonstrate  the  efficiency  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda.     The  table  shows  the  yield  of  fruit  in   tons  per  acre. 


Plots.    Nitrate  Soda. 

Acid  Phos. 

Muriate  Potash. 

Yield  Fruit. 

Increased  Crop. 

2  I           0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

1.84  tons. 

. 

15          63    " 

400    " 

IOO     " 

2.53    " 

69  tons. 

16       250    " 

400    " 

IOO     " 

3-25   " 

1. 41    << 

»7     375   " 

400    " 

IOO     " 

4.84  « 

3.00   " 

22      125   << 

400    " 

200   " 

4-57   " 

2.73    " 

23    Green  manure 

400    " 

200   " 

4.91    " 

3.07    " 

(Plot  7.)      Peanuts.      No  fertilizer. 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  3.)      Peanuts.      Fertilizer — 400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and  160 
No  Nitrate. 


(Plot  4.)      Peanuts.      Fertilizer — 250  lbs.  Nitrate   of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and 
160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


In  1 901  the  yields  of  fruit  computed  to  a  full  stand,  in 
tons  per  acre,  were  as  follows : 


Plot.        Nitrate.  Acid  Phosphate. 

2  1  O  lbs.  O  lbs. 


16 


63 


375 


400 
400 
400 


22  125  "     400 

23  Green  manure   400 


uriate  Potash. 

Yield. 

Gain. 

0  lbs. 

2.01  tons. 



IOO  " 

1.28    - 



IOO  " 

IOO    " 

4.56    " 
6.67    « 

2.  55  tons 
4.66    " 

200  " 
200  " 

4-54   " 
3-!7   " 

2.53    << 
1. 16    « 

Food    for 
Plants 


The  results  on  plot  1  5  are  obviously  low  from  acciden- 
tal causes.  The  average  vields  for  1900  and  1901,  in  the 
increased  crop  over  the  unfertilized  soil,  stated  in  percen- 
tages, is  as  follows: 

Plot  16,  with  250  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre,  gain  103  per  cent. 

Plot  17,  with  375  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre,  gain  ipS  per  cent. 

Plot  22,  with  125  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre,  gain  126  per  cent. 

Plot  23,  with  green   manuring  substituted  for  Nitrate,  gain  no  per  cent. 


(Plot  7.)      Sweet    Potatoes.      No  fertilizer,  j 


Food    for 
Plants 


m&i     i 

fcj 

■'  I 

Bffi     p[8{3     §1| 

Bp    KPSL    f 

*&..  *&'&ii?$ 

' 

(Plot  3.)     Sweet    Potatoes.      Fertilizer 
potash. 


400  lbs.   acid   phosphate   and    1 60  lbs.  muriate  of 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


(Plot  4.)     Sweet  Potatoes.    Fertilizer — 250  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate 
and  160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


For  both  years,  the  yields  of  plot  16  are  disproportion- 
ately low,  as  shown  by  comparison  with  plots  15  and  17. 
The  cause  is  probably  an  inequality  of  the  soil. 

In  this  experiment  the  green  manure  makes  a  very  good 
showing,  but  the  explanation  is  that  plot  23  of  this  series 
is  located  in  a  low  spot  in  the  strip,  and  undoubtedly 
receives  fertilizer  from  the  adjacent  plots. 

Of  the  remaining  series  of  the  Fruit  Farm,  none  have 
fruited  with  sufficient  uniformity  to  admit  of  comparison. 
The  plum  series  alone  is  sufficiently  developed,  but  this 
series  has  suffered  so  seriously  from  the  ravages  of  insects 
that  the  fruiting  has  been  very  irregular. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Results  on  the  Vegetable  Farm. 

The  effect  of  a  raw,  new  soil  was  more  severely  felt  on 
the  Vegetable  Farm  than  on  the  Fruit  Farm,  and  the 
results  were  somewhat  irregular.  The  crops  selected  for 
the  various  series  were  as  follows  : 


Plot  7.)     Sweet   Potatoes.      No  fertilizer. 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot    3.)      Sweet   Potatoes.      Fertilizer — 400   lbs.  acid  phosphate  and    160  lbs.    muriate  of 
potash.     No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


(Plot  4.)     Sweet  Potatoes.     Fertilizer — 250  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate 
and    160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


Series. 

1898. 

1899 

1900. 

Food    for 

I. 

Peanuts. 

Tobacco. 

Fallow. 

Plants 

II. 

Potatoes. 

Corn. 

Fallow. 

115 

III. 

Beans. 

Artichokes. 

Fallow. 

IV. 

Y. 

Asparagus. 
Beets. 

Asparagus. 
Beans. 

Asparagus. 
Artichokes. 

VI. 

\  II. 
VIII. 

Sweet  potatoes. 

Tobacco. 

Corn. 

Peanuts. 
Sweet  potatoes. 
Potatoes. 

Sweet  potatoes. 

Corn. 

Peanuts. 

Potatoes  were  planted  in  1898  and  1899,  but  both 
crops  were  a  failure  from  various  causes.  Beans  were 
planted  in  1898  and  1899,  but  both  were  crop  failures. 
Asparagus  being  a  permanent  crop,  was  continued  on 
the  same  series  throughout  the  whole  period.  The  crop 
returns  computed  to  pounds  of  stalks  per  acre,  are  shown 
in  the  following  table : 


lot. 

Nitrate. 

Acid  Phos. 

Muriate  Potash. 

1898. 

Pounds 
1899. 

per 

acre. 
1900. 

Average. 

7 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs. 

20 

218 

23I 

I-J6 

3 

0   " 

400    " 

160    " 

48 

43  2 

756 

412 

4 

250   " 

400    " 

160    «« 

58 

506 

877 

480 

(Plot  7.)     Corn.      No  fertiliz 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  3.)     Corn.      Fertilizer — 400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and  160  lbs.  muriate  of 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


(Plot  4.)     Corn.      Fertilizer — 250    lbs.    Nitrate   of   Soda,   400   lbs.  acid   phosphate  and 
160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


The  gain  from  the  use  of  Nitrate  is  about  ij  per  cent, 
as  compared  with  the  plot  not  fertilized  with  Nitrate  of 
Soda.  In  1901  the  results  were  300  pounds  per  acre  for 
the  unfertilized  soil,  520  pounds  for  plot  3,  and  980  pounds 
for  plot  4.  The  average  for  the  four  years  shows  a  gain 
over  the  unfertilized  soil  of  204  per  cent  for  plot  3,  and 
320  per  cent  for  plot  4.  Beets  were  planted  in  1898,  but 
were  a  failure.  Sweet  Potatoes  were  planted  each  of  the 
years  under  examination,  and  the  crop  yields  were  fair,  the 
soil  being  naturally  suitable  to  the  crop.  The  following 
table  shows  the  crop  vields  in  pounds  per  acre. 


lot. 

Nitrate. 

Acid  Phos. 

Muriate  Potash.       „    u 
189s. 

Pounds 
1899. 

per  acre, 
1900. 

Average. 

7 

0   lbs. 

0  lbs. 

0  lbs.        2,960 

2,580 

3»765 

3,  I02 

3 

O    " 

400    " 

160    "             6,280 

4,980 

8,260 

6,507 

4 

250    " 

400    " 

160    "           13,760 

10,560 

10,570 

I  1,630 

The  gain  of  plot  3  over  the  unfertilized  soil  was  very 
large,  and  the  addition  of  250  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
increased  the  crop  of  plot  3  nearlv  79  per  cent. 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot   7.)     Corn.      No  fertil; 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot    3.)     Corn.      Fertilizer — 400   lbs.    acid    phosphate   and    160    lbs.   muriate    of   potash. 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


(Plot  4.)      Corn.     Fertilizer— 250  lbs.  Nitrate   of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and  160 
lbs.  muriate   of  potash. 


In  1 90 1  the  sweet  potato  series  gave  results  as  follows: 

Plot  7,  without  fertilization  of  any  kind,  per  acre,  1,370  lbs. 
Plot  3,  with  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  per  acre,  3,893  lbs. 
Plot  4,  with  Nitrate,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash, 

per  acre 1 0,8  1  o  lbs. 

Taking  the  average  for  the  four  years,  the  increase  in 
crops  by  applying  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  only  was  235 
per  cent,  but  when  250  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  was 
added  to  this  the  increase  amounted  to  502  per  cent. 

Tobacco  was  planted  in  1898  and  1899,  but  the  crop 
of  the  latter  year  was  a  total  failure.  The  following  table 
shows  the  yield  in  1898,  in  pounds  of  green  leaf  per  acre: 

Plot. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Nitrate. 

O  lbs. 

O    " 

250     << 


Acid  Phos. 

O  lbs. 
400  " 
400    " 


Muriate  Potash. 

o  lbs. 
160  " 
160  " 


700  lbs. 
1,980   << 
3,600  " 


The  250  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  increased  the  crop 
nearly  82  per  cent. 


*f&^UMim 


(Plot  21.)     Cow   Peas.      No  fertilizer. 


(Plot    3.)     Corn.      Fertilizer — 400    lbs.    acid    phosphate  ar 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


ate   ot"  potash 


o  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lb: 
lbs.   muriate  of  potash. 


hosphate  and  I  60 


Corn  was  planted  each  year,  but  the  reports  fail  to 
account  for  a  crop  in  1899.  The  yields  in  pounds  per  acre, 
total  crop,  were  as  follows  : 


Plot.        Nitrate. 

o   lbs. 
?  o    " 


Acid  Phos. 

O  lbs. 
400    " 
400    ** 


Muriate  Potash.         0    „ 
1890. 

o  lbs.  840  lbs 

160    "  1,800    " 

160    "  4,030    " 


Pounds  pei  at 
1900. 

1,059  Iks. 
1,631    " 
4»5Z3    " 


Average. 
950  lbs. 
1,706    " 
4,302     " 


The  increased  yield,  due  to  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  added 
to  plot  4  over  3,  which  received  only  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash,  was  2,596  pounds,  a  gain  of  15a  per  cent. 

For  1 901  the  results  were  30  pounds  corn  for  the 
unfertilized  plot,  100  pounds  for  plot  3  and  880  pounds  for 
plot  4.  Plot  18,  which  received  a  double  application  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  gave  a  yield  per  acre  of  1,640  pounds. 
The  season  seems  to  have  been  unfavorable  for  the  crop. 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot   7.)     Corn.      No   fertilizer. 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  18.)      Cow  Peas.      Fertilizer — 400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  and  200  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda  applied. 


(Plot   17.)     Cow   Peas.      Fertilizer— 375  lbs.  Nitrate  of   Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate 
and  100  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


Artichokes  were  planted  in  1899  and  1900,  but  the 
crop  of  the  latter  year  is  not  reported.  Plot  7,  unfertilized 
soil,  made  a  crop  of  2,640  pounds  tubers  per  acre,  while 
the  plot  with  no  Nitrate,  No.  3,  gave  a  crop  of  5,140 
pounds.  Adding  to  the  fertilizer  used  on  plot  3,  250 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  for  plot  4,  increased  the  crop  on 
said  plot  4  to   9,120  pounds,  or  nearly  100  per  cent. 


Food    for 
Plants 
128 


(Plot  7.)      Artichokes.      No  fertili 


Food    for 
Plants 


(Plot  3.)      Artichokes.      Fertilizer — 400  lbs.  acid  phosphate   and  160  lbs.  muriate  of   potasl 
No  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


(Plot  4.)      Artichokes.     Fertilizer — 2<o  lbs.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  400  lbs.  acid  phosphate  anc 
160  lbs.  muriate  of  potash. 


THE   MARYLAND  AGRICULTURAL  Food  for 

Plants 

EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


Reprinted  from   Bulletin  No.  67. 

June,  1900. 


The  Culture  and  Handling  of  Tobacco  in   Maryland. 

B\  H.  |.  PATTERSON,  Director  and  Chemist. 
Page   140. 

The  following  materials  are  well  adapted  T  , 

for  use    in    making  fertilizers  for  tobacco  : 

Dissolved  South  Carolina  rock,  dissolved  bone,  dried 
fish,  bone-tankage,  cotton-seed  meal,  Nitrate  of  Soda, 
sulphate  of  ammonia,  high-grade  sulphate  of  potash,  car- 
bonate of  potash  and  magnesia,  and  cottonseed-hull  ashes. 
As  a  rule,  in  mixing  fertilizers  there  is  not  as  much  Nitro- 
gen and  potash  used  as  would  be  beneficial  and  profitable. 
By  the  use  of  crimson  clover  and  cow-peas  for  adding 
humus  to  the  soils  the  amount  of  Nitrogen  or  ammonia 
furnished  by  commercial  fertilizer  could  be  either  kept  low 
or  reduced.  Farmers  should  generally  aim  to  mix  their  own 
fertilizers,  as  by  this  means  they  are  sure  of  what  goes  into 
the  fertilizer,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  get  the  plant  food  cheaper 
than  by  purchasing  it  in  ready  mixed  goods.  The  mixing  of 
fertilizer  can  be  easily  and  cheaply  done  on  the  barn  floor, 
by  the  aid  of  a  hoe,  shovel  and  sand  screen. 

The  following  figures  give  the  approximate  per  cent- 
age  which  each  100  pounds  of  the  various  ingredients  will 
represent  when  they  are  added  to  a  mixture  and  the  whole 
made  up  to  a  ton  or  1,000  pounds. 

Each  100  pounds  of  dissolved  South  Carolina  rock 
represents  7-10  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid  in  a  ton 
mixture. 

Each  100  pounds  of  standard  dried  fish  or  tankage  will 
represent  l/2  per  cent  of  ammonia  and  4-10  per  cent  of  total 
phosphoric  acid  in  a  ton  mixture. 

Fach  100  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  will  represent  about 
one  ( 1 )  per  cent  of  ammonia  when  made  up  in  a  ton  mixture. 


Each  ioo  pounds  of  high-grade  sulphate  of  potash  will 
represent  about  iyi  per  cent  of  potash  when  made  up  into 
a  ton  mixture. 

For  illustration,  a  fertilizer  which  has  been  used  with 
good  results  on  the  Station  farm  for  tobacco  was  made  up 
as  follows : 

Dissolved  South  Carolina  rock Ij3°o  lbs. 

Tankage  ( I  c  per  cent) 400  lbs. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 100  lbs. 

High-grade  sulphate  of  potash 200  lbs. 

Total 2,000  lbs. 

This  contained  approximately  : 

Phosphoric  acid  (P.^O.) 9  to  10  per  cent. 

Potash  (KgO) 5 

Ammonia 3  " 

Sulphate  of  ammonia  and  Nitrate  of  Soda  are  particu- 
larly valuable  for  use  on  the  plant  beds  for  growing  strong 
and  early  plants.  For  this  purpose  they  are  applied  at  the 
rate  of  about  100  pounds  per  acre,  sown  broadcast  over 
the  land,  in  which  case  they  are  mixed  with  rock,  plaster, 
or  dry  earth  in  order  to  facilitate  application.  They  are 
also  sometimes  applied  in  solution  at  the  time  of  watering 
the  plants,  in  which  case  they  are  added  to  the  water  at  the 
rate  of  one  ounce  of  material  for  every  four  or  five  gallons 
of  water. 

SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.  150. 

Value  of  Different  Forms  of  Ammoniates. 

.  .     IT  In     1898     the    New     Jersey    Agricultural 

Losses  in  Use  .  .  - 

P  ^    ,.  Experiment  Station  commenced  a  series  of 

A  .  _  experiments  to  determine  the  practical  use- 

Ammoniates         r,r  c  ,.~  c  cc    K.. 

y.  ,  fulness  or  different  forms  of  fertilizer  ammo- 

niates, including  farmyard  manures.  A 
special  study  was  made  of  farmyard  manures,  and  the  losses 
of  ammonia  through  improper  handling  or  careless- 
ness was  determined.  These  losses  averaged  over  one- 
third  of  the  ammonia,  over  one-half  the  phosphoric  acid, 
and  nearly  one-half  the  potash.  To  illustrate  practically, 
one  ton  of  the  average  farmyard  manure  as  experimented 
with  contained  10  pounds  of  ammonia,  6  pounds  of  phos- 


phoric  acid,  and  8   pounds  of  potash.     The  losses  by  the     £°°*  for 

treatment  given   manures    on    the   average   farm,   where  at       _*" 

least  some  pretense  is  made  to  care  properly  for  same,  was 
4  pounds  of  ammonia,  3  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid,  and 
4  pounds  of  potash.  As  compared  with  pure  chemi- 
cal fertilizers  the  plant  food  lost  amounted  to  about  85 
cents.  However,  in  actual  farming  it  has  been  long  since 
known  that  the  plant  food  elements  in  the  form  of  farm- 
yard manure  are  not  nearly  so  valuable  as  the  same  elements 
in  the  form  of  pure  fertilizer  chemicals.  We  have  no 
absolutely  exact  way  of  fixing  this  difference  in  figures;  but 
it  is  very  probable  that  all  things  considered,  plant  food  in 
farmyard  manures  is  worth  about  half  as  much  as  the  same 
quantity  in  the  form  of  the  pure  farm  chemicals.  Under 
these  conditions  the  actual  value  of  the  plant  food  saved 
by  a  very  carefully  carried  out  system  of  preserving  farm- 
yard manures  would  not  amount  to  more  than  45  cents 
per  ton,  which  probably  would  scarcely  pay  for  the  work 
of  saving  it. 

The  value  to  the   farmer  of  manures  Crop-Producing 
and    fertilizers    depends    upon    the    crop  power  0f  Njtrate 
making     power     of    same;    that    is,    the  Compared  with 
power    of    the    manure    or    fertilizer    to  Qtner  Ammo- 
make  a  greater  growth  than  would  have  nJates 
been  the  case  had  no  manure  or  fertilizer 
been  used.      Plant  food  ammonia  is  a  definite  substance,  but 
unquestionably  it  has  a  greater  crop  making  power  in  some 
forms  than  in  others.     All  the    fertilizer  ammoniates  vary 
in  practical  usefulness,  ranging  from  the  Nitrated  Ammoniate, 
Nitrate   of  Soda,    which   is  the  form    of  highest  value   to 
the  farmer,  to  the   animal    form    in    leather  scrap,  which  is 
of  very  little  agricultural  value.     This  variation  in  the  crop 
making  values  of  different   forms    of  ammoniates  has  been 
specially    studied    by    the  Experiment  Station,  making  use 
of  the   plot   system.     The  experiment  plots   were    treated 
with   an   abundance    of  phosphoric   acid    and   potash,   and 
given  ammonia  at   the    rate   of  60  pounds    per  acre — 320 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda.     The  results  averaged  for  three 
years  (corn,  oats,   oats)    were   as   follows,  comparison  made 
with  a  plot  receiving   phosphoric    acid    and    potash,  but  no 
Nitrate : 


Food     for  Yield  dry  matter.  Gain  per  cent. 

Plants       Phosphoric  acid,  potash  only i  54- °  

—  Phosphoric  acid,  potash  and  Nitrate  of  Soda.  .  .  .  240.5  83.70 

Phosphoric  acid,  potash  and  sulphate  of  ammonia.  224. 1  61.40 

Phosphoric  acid,  potash  and  dried  blood 206.0  55. 10 

w  The    details     of    the  experiment   are    too 

.  1C  .  .  much  at  length  to  give  in  full  here,  and  we 
Ammoniate  is  ,•         &  &  ,       .  ,•  f 

M       v  1     ki  must  limit  our  remarks    to  a  discussion   or 

Most  Valuable.  thg  resuks>      From  the  percentage  of  gain 

it  is  evident  that  if  the  ammonia  in  the  form  of  Nitrate  of 
Soda  is  worth  1 2  cents  per  pound,  as  sulphate  of  ammonia  it 
is  worth  only  9  cents,  and  as  dried  blood,  it  is  worth  only 
8  cents.  That  is,  if  dried  blood  ammonia  costs  8  cents  per 
pound,  ammonia  from  the  sulphate  of  ammonia  is  cheaper 
if  it  can  be  purchased  anywhere  under  9  cents  per  pound, 
or  ammonia  from  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  cheaper  if  it  can  be 
purchased  under  12  cents  per  pound.  In  like  manner 
comparison  was  made  with  farmyard  manures  with  results 
based  on  a  price  of  1 2  cents  per  pound  of  the  Nitrated 
ammonia  or  Nitrate  of  Soda,  as  follows  : 

Per  pound. 

Fresh  solid  manure 1.7  cents. 

Fresh  solid  and  liquid  manure 5.8  cents. 

Leached  solid  manure 2.0  cents. 

Leached  solid  and  liquid  manure 3.8  cents. 

Farmyard  manure  is  commonly  valued  at  $2.50  per 
ton;  as  it  contains  10  pounds  of  ammonia,  and  presumably 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash  together  of  equal  value,  the 
10  pounds  of  ammonia  are  worth  $1.25  or  12.5  cents  per 
pound.  This  is  very  near  the  actual  cost  of  ammonia  in 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  but  ammonia  in  the  Nitrated  form  is  of 
much  greater  value  than  in  the  organic  form,  such  as 
farmyard  manure;  a  fact  well  shown  by  the  above  table. 
If  the  ammonia  of  farmyard  manure  is  worth  12.5  cents 
per  pound  these  experiments  show  that  ammonia  in  the 
other  forms  under  examination  is  worth  per  pound  as 
follows  : 

Solid  fresh  manure 12.5  cents. 

Solid  and  liquid  fresh  manure 42.6  cents. 

Solid  leached  manure    i<±-7  cents. 

Solid  and  liquid  leached  manure    27.9  cents. 

Dried  blood 60.  5  cents. 

Sulphate  of  ammonia 67.4  cents. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 91.9  cents- 


It  is  claimed  that  farmyard  manure  has  a  D  ,,..„.       «  Food   for 

•     ,     n-          i-iii                     i  Reliability  or  plants 

mechanical  effect   which  adds   to  its  value  M.    nt      s  c    . 

.               ,         .                  ,         c     ,  Nitrate  of  Soda.  ,.>Q  . 

much  more  than  the  mere  plant  food  con-  UH 

tained  in  same.  There  seems  to  be  no  very  clear  under- 
standing as  to  the  exact  nature  of  this  mechanical  usefulness, 
but  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  farmyard  manure  has  sufficient 
value  to  justify  a  more  or  less  careful  saving  of  same  ;  as  to 
the  price  to  be  paid  for  it  commercially,  that  is  quite  another 
matter.  The  after  effect  of  farmyard  manure  was  found  to 
be  much  greater  than  from  the  fertilizer  chemicals,  but  as 
the  farmyard  manure  plot  received  three  times  the  ammonia 
applied  to  the  fertilizer  chemical  plots,  it  is  reasonable  to 
expect  a  marked  difference  in  after  effect.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  after  effect  in  modern  agriculture  is  of  doubtful 
utility;  to  place  any  dependence  upon  same  is  to  take  the 
risk  of  crop  failure  and  the  loss  of  a  year  in  time  as  well  as 
all  the  work  done.  In  this  experiment  50  pounds  of 
ammonia  as  Nitrate  of  Soda  produced  an  increase  of  nearly 
84  per  cent  over  the  plot  not  treated  with  ammonia;  the 
most  successful  form  of  farmyard  manure,  using  three  times 
the  quantity  of  ammonia,  produced  in  crop,  and  in  the 
after  crop  158  per  cent  over  the  plot  not  treated  with 
ammonia.  Deducting  the  84  per  cent  as  the  average 
results  with  50  pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  ammoniate  we 
have  a  gain  of  74  per  cent,  representing  100  pounds  of 
farmyard  manure  ammonia.  It  would  have  been  better 
therefore  to  have  used  Nitrate  each  year,  supposing,  of 
course,  the  ammonia  had  cost  the  same  in  both  cases. 


Terms  Used  in  Discussing  Fertilizers. 

Complete  fertilizer  is  one  which  contains  the  three 
essential  fertilizing  constituents,  in  available  fine  form  ;  for 
example.  Nitrate  of  Soda,  Ground  Bone,  and  Soluble 
Potash  and  as  Muriate  or  Wood  Ashes. 

Nitrogen  may  exist  in  three  distinct  forms,  viz.,  as 
Nitrates,  as  Nitrogenous  organic  matter,  as  ammonia 
salts. 

Nitrates  furnish  the  most  readily  available  forms  of 
Nitrogen.       The  most  common  is  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

Nitration,  or  nitrification,  is  the  process  by  which  the 
highly  available  Nitrates  are  formed    from    the    less   active 


Plants 


Food  for  Nitrogen  of  organic  matter  and  ammonia  salts.  It  is  due 
to  the  action  of  microscopic  organisms,  and  all  Nitrogenous 
manures  undergo  this  process  before  plants  use  it. 

Phosphoric  acid,  one  of  the  essential  fertilizing  ingre- 
dients, is  derived  from  materials  called  phosphates.  It  does 
not  exist  alone,  but  in  combination,  most  commonly  as 
phosphate  of  lime  in  the  form  of  bones,  rock  phosphate, 
and  phosphatic  slag.  Phosphoric  acid  occurs  in  fertilizers 
in  three  forms— soluble,  reverted,  and  insoluble  phosphoric 
acid. 

Superphosphate. — In  natural  or  untreated  phosphates 
the  phosphoric  acid  is  insoluble  in  water  and  not  readily 
available  to  plants.  Superphosphate  is  prepared  from  these 
by  grinding  and  treating  with  sulphuric  acid,  which  makes 
the  phosphoric  acid  more  available.  Superphosphates  are 
sometimes  called  acid-phosphates. 

Potash,  as  a  constituent  of  fertilizers,  exists  in  a  num- 
ber of  forms,  but  chiefly  as  sulphate  and  muriate.  All 
forms  are  believed  to  be  nearly,  if  not  quite,  equally 
available.  The  chief  sources  of  potash  are  the  potash 
salts  from  Germany — kainit,  sylvinit,  muriate  of  potash, 
sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia.  Canada  wood  ashes  and 
cotton-hull  ashes  are  also  sources  of  potash. 


Ammoniates. 

Per  cent  Lbs.  Ammonia 

ammonia.  per  ton. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 19  380 

Dried  blood 14.5  295 

Tankage 13.3  266 

Dry  fish  scrap .     10  200 

Cotton  seed  meal 8.5  1 70 

Barnyard  manure 0.6  12 


Phosphates. 

Per  cent  Lbs.  Phosphoric 

phosphoric  acid.  Acid  per  ton. 

Superphosphate 15  300 

Ground  bone 22  440 

Bone  tankage 12  240 

Thomas  slag 16  320 

Barnyard  manure 0.32  6.40 


Potashes. 

Per  cent  actual 
potash. 

Nitrate  of  Soda i  to  3 

Muriate  potash 5° 

Sulphate  potash 52 

Canada  wood  ashes ° 

Cotton  seed  hull  ashes 25 

Waste  from  gunpowder  works .  1 8 

Corn  cob  ashes 23 

Maryland  marls    x •  25 

Peruvian  guano 2.61 

Castor  pumace '  •  5 

Tobacco  stems 6-5 

Barnyard  manure °-43 

Sodas. 

Per  cent  actual 
soda. 

Carbonate  of  Soda 5° 

Sulphate  of  Soda 43 

Nitrate  of  Soda 3  5 


Food    for 
Plants 


Lbs.  Potash 

per  ton. 

20  to  60 

IOOO 

1040 

I20 

400 

360 

460 

25 
52.2 

3° 
130 

8.6 


Lbs.  Soda 
per  ton. 

IOOO 

860 

700 


SOUTH  CAROLINA  AGRICULTURAL 
EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


Reprinted  from  Bulletin  No.  56. 

October,  1900. 


Clemson  Agricultural  College. 

S.    C.   A.   &  M.   COLLEGE. 


Wheat. 


/.         Comparison  of  Varieties. 

II.  Quantity  of  Seed  per  Acre. 

III.  Experiment  with  Nitrogen. 


IV.    Home  Manures. 


V. 
VI. 


Commercial  Fertilizers. 
Tillage. 


Page  5. 


If  wheat  is  sown  upon  land  deficient  in  Fertilizers, 

organic  matter,  it  is  wise  to  use  a  complete 
fertilizer,  containing  Nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash. 


Food  for  if  it  follows  a  legume,  such  as  peas  or  clover,  the   Ni- 

Plants  trogen  may  be  omitted,  and  if  the  soil  contains   much  clay 
132       potash  may  not  be  needed. 

AH  fertilizers  applied  to  wheat  should  be  sown  broad- 
cast during  the  preparation  of  the  soil  and  very  thoroughly 
incorporated  with  it.  Excessive  use  of  Nitrogen  is  injurious, 
causing  too  succulent  growth  resulting  in  rust  or  lodging, 
or  both. 

u        ~         .         This  ferments   verv    actively   when    mixed 
How  Organic      ^  mojst   goil      jf   the   seed   come    intQ 

horms  o  contact  with  it  during  such  fermentation  the 

Nitrogen  are        germ  wU1  be  injured>     It  should)  therefore, 
hermented.  bg  appiied  iong  enough  before  sowing  the 

wheat  to  allow  this  fermentation    to   pass  its  most  active 
stage. 

If  wheat  shows  an  unhealthy  appearance  in  early  springs 
especially  upon  sandy  lands,  an  application  of  seventy-five 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  will  prove  beneficial  provided  there  is 
enough  phosphoric  acid  in  the  soil  to  co-operate  with  it  to  make 
the  grain. 

Page   9. 

Experiment  with  Nitrogen. 

To     compare    effects    of   Nitrogen     from 
,ect"  cotton  seed    meal  and   Nitrate  of  Soda  and 

the  latter  applied  with  the  seed  and  as  a  top  dressing. 

The  intention  was  to  use  on  each  plot  a  constant  quan- 
tity  of  phosphoric  acid  and  potash    as   the   equivalent    of 
these  ingredients  in  200  pounds  of  cotton  seed  meal. 
The  first  plot  received  cotton   seed  meal 

alone,  yield 1  7-5  hus- 

The  second  phosphoric  acid  and  potash 
and  Nitrate  of  Soda  all  applied  with 

the  seed,  yield    20.8  bus. 

The  third  received  only  phosphoric  acid 

and  potash,  yield i7-6  bus- 

The  fourth  received  in  addition  to  phos- 
phoric acid  and  potash  applied  with  the 
seed,  Nitrate  of  Soda  as  a  top  dress, 
vield ]9-4  bus. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ARIZONA  Food  for 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION.  Plants 

183 

Timely  Hints  for  Farmers,  No.  31. 

April,   1901. 
W.   W.   SKINNER. 

A  fertilizer  of  about  the  composition  given  below  has 
frequently  been  advised  by  the  Station  for  fertilizing  orange 
orchards,  and  is  believed  to  be  in  every  way  suited  to  the 
purpose.  It  should  be  applied  at  the  rate  of  from  500  to 
1,500  pounds  to  the  acre,  according  to  age  of  trees  and 
quality  of  soil,  and  "  plowed  in  deeply  at  the  edge  of  the 
branches,  about  the  beginning  of  the  growing  season." 
Formula. 

6  per  cent  Nitrogen,  from  organic  material. 

1  per  cent  Nitrogen,  from  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

1  y^  per  cent  potash,  from  sulphate  of  potash. 

6^  per  cent  available  phosphoric  acid. 

which  in  certain  cases   can  be    compounded   with  economy 
by  the  farmer  himself  from  the  following  materials : 

Pounds. 

Bone  tankage,  (10  per  cent  ammonia) iooo 

Nitrate  of  Soda 140 

Sulphate  of  potash 60 

Dissolved  bone  (16  per  cent  available  phosphoric  acid)  800 


PURDUE  UNIVERSITY, 

INDIANA   AGRICULTURAL   EXPERIMENT 

STATION. 

LAFAYETTE,  IND. 

C.  S.  PLUMB,  Director. 


Bulletin  No.  84. 

September,   1900. 


Growing  Lettuce  With  Chemical  Fertilizers. 

By  WILLIAM   STUART. 

The  subject  of  lettuce  culture  with  chemical  fertilizers 
was  undertaken  by  the  writer  some  years  ago,  and  has  been 
continued   as    circumstances    permitted  up   to    the    present 


Food  for  time.     The  investigation  has    been    carried   out   as  part  of 

Plants  the  work  of  the  Botanical  Department  of  the  Station  and 

134       under  the  supervision   of  Dr.  Arthur,  the  Station  Botanist, 

to  whom  the  writer  is  much  indebted  for  assistance. 

The   initial   experiments    on   lettuce   were    reported   in 

Bulletin  66  of  this    Station,  and  a   brief  account  of  some 

later  ones  is  contained  in  an  article  by  the  writer,  entitled 

"  Plant  Growing  with   Chemical    Fertilizers,"*  which  was 

read  before  the  State    Horticultural    Society   in   December, 

1898.   Subsequent  experiments  to  the  ones  already  reported 

as  mentioned,  confirm  the  results  previously  obtained  and 

contain  much  additional  information   concerning  the  effects 

of  various  forms  of  fertilizers. 

^        .  Among    some     of    the    more     important 

Questions  . s.     .  .     L   ,        ,  .    ,r-     .1  • 

,  .  questions  investigated  and  reported  in  this 

Investigated.        J*  ..    .  urn 

bulletin  are  the  following  : 

1.  The  determination  of  the  relative  effects  of  phosphoric 
acid,  Nitrogen  and  potash  upon  the  plants,  either  when  used 
separately  or  in  combination  with  each  other. 

1.  The  relative  efficiency  of  phosphoric  acid,  Nitrogen 
and  potash  when  derived  from  different  sources. 

3.  The  comparative  efficiency  of  chemical  fertilizers  and 
stable  manure. 

4.  Relative  availability  of  liquid  chemicals  when  applied 
to  the  surface  of  the  soil  or  from  below. 

5.  A  comparison  of  surface  versus  sub-watering. 

Page  134. 

.  ....        f      In    the    first    crop     the    Nitrate    of   Soda, 

vai  a  1  lty  0       wnereVer  comparable  conditions  obtained, 
ltrogen.  ve  slightly   better  results  than  the  dried 

blood,  the  increase  varying  from  4.5  to  15  per  cent.  The 
results  of  the  second  crop  showed  a  slight  gain  in  favor  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda  in  one  instance,  and  in  two  others  a  gain 
in  favor  of  the  dried  blood.  In  one  of  these,  VIII  (a),  the 
gain  over  VIII  was  large  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the 
product  from  the  latter  was  much  less  than  it  should  have 
been,  and  owing  to  this,  no  definite  conclusion  can  be 
derived  from  the  second  crop.  It  is  safe  to  infer,  however, 
from   the  results  of  the   first   harvest,  that  for  any    quick 

*  Transactions  of  the  Indiana  Horticultural  Society,  105-114,  December,  1898. 


growing  crops,  or  where  an  application  of  Nitrogen  is  desirable  Food   for 

in  the  maturing  of  a  crop,  the  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  preferable  to 

dried  blood.  m 

The  results  obtained    from   the  several  c 

,  ...  Summary, 

experiments  enumerated  seem  to  invite  the 

following  conclusions: 

1.  That  in  order  to  study  the  action  of  the  three  essen- 
tial elements  of  plant  food,  Nitrogen,  phosphorus  and 
potassium,  a  soil  must  be  used  that  is  fairly  deficient  in 
plant  food. 

2.  That  potash  when  used  in  any  considerable  amount, 
either  alone  or  in  connection  with  Nitrate  of  Soda,  pro- 
duced conditions  unsuitable  to  plant  growth. 

3.  When  phosphoric  acid  was  used  alone  or  in  con- 
nection with  Nitrate  of  Soda  or  muriate  of  potash,  even  in 
large  amounts,  a  marked  increase  in  the  growth  of  the 
plants  was  obtained. 

4.  The  muriate  of  potash  proved  somewhat  superior  to 
the  sulphate,  the  increase  in  each  case  being  but  slight. 

5.  But  little  difference  seems  to  obtain  in  the  efficiency 
of  different  forms  of  available  phosphoric  acid. 

6.  In  each  instance  chemical  fertilizers  proved  slightly 
superior  to  stable  manures. 

7.  The  application  of  liquid  fertilizers  from  below  by 
the  sub-watering  method  proved  perfectly  feasible  and  gave 
satisfactory  results. 

8.  Nitrate  of  Soda  gave  quicker  returns  than  did  dried 
blood,  and  seems  best  adapted  to  lettuce  culture. 

9.  The  sub-watered  plants  made  a  better  growth  than 
the  surface  watered  ones. 


Food   for  u.   S.fDEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Plants 

~^~         EXPERIMENT  STATION  WORK,  XII. 

Washington,   D.   C. 

Farmers'   Bulletin  No.  105. 

EDITOR  W.    H.   BEAL. 


Prepared  in  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

A.    C.   TRUE,   Director. 

^      ...          „          Since     1892  the      Massachusetts      Hatch 

Fertilizers  ror      0      .         /  ,                   ,                               r 

„     j      ^             Station     has  been     conducting     series     or 

Garden  Crops.  ......   „u         1  *•            /        r 

experiments  to    test    the    relative   value  of 

Nitrate  of  Soda,  sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  dried  blood,  as 
sources  of  Nitrogen  for  different  garden  crops ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  make  a  comparison  of  muriate  with  sulphate 
of  potash,  when  used  with  each  of  the  three  Nitrogenous 
fertilizers  for  the  same  class  of  crops.  Dissolved  bone-black 
was  applied  equally  to  all  plats  from  the  first.  These 
experiments  were  continued  unvaried  until  1897.  Sulphate 
of  potash  in  connection  with  Nitrate  of  Soda  generally  gave 
the  best  crop ;  in  cases  where  it  did  not,  it  gave  one  but 
slightly  inferior  to  the  best  except  in  the  case  of  one  crop, 
sweet  corn,  a  plant  which  makes  much  of  its  growth  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  season.  Nitrate  of  Soda  in  almost  every 
instance  proved  the  most  valuable  source  of  Nitrogen,  whether 
used  with  muriate  or  sulphate  of  potash.  Sulphate  of 
ammonia  and  muriate  of  potash  when  used  together  gave 
the  poorest  yield  in  every  instance.  This  result  was 
apparently  due  to  a  chemical  reaction  between  these  two 
substances  in  the  soil,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  ammo- 
nium chlorid,  a  substance  which  is  injurious  to  plant  growth. 
Up  to  1897,  as  has  been  already  stated,  only  chemical 
fertilizers  were  used,  but  in  1898  a  change  was  made  in  the 
plan  of  the  experiment.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  market 
gardeners,  in  whose  interest  chiefly  these  experiments  were 
carried  out,  almost  invariably  use  large  quantities  of  stable 
manure,  and  employ  commercial  fertilizers,  if  at  all,  simply 
to  supplement  the  manure,  it  was  decided  to  apply  equal 
amounts  of  thoroughly  mixed  stable  manure  to  each  plat 
and  to  use  in  addition  the  same  fertilizers  as  before. 
Further,  in  order  to   have   the    best   data  for  determining 


whether  the  fertilizers  should  prove  in    any  degree  useful,   Food   for 
another  plat  was  added  to  which  manure  alone  was  applied.        nts 
A  number  of  different  garden  crops  were  grown,  including       137 
spinach,  lettuce,    table   beets,  tomatoes,  and   cabbage  ;  and, 
as  a  second  crop,  turnips. 

Spinach  gave  by  far  the  best  results  with  Sninach 

Nitrate  of  Soda.  On  sulphate  of  ammonia 
plats  it  was  almost  an  absolute  failure,  many  plants  dying 
soon  after  germination  and  most  of  the  others  becoming 
yellow  and  sickly.  Sulphate  of  potash  gave  somewhat 
better  returns  than  did  the  muriate.  Very  similar  results 
were  obtained  with  beets.  Most  of  the  plants  on  the 
sulphate  of  ammonia  plats  became  weak  and  sickly  and 
many  died  ;  but  the  few  that  survived  until  about  July 
gradually  recovered  their  vigor  and  grew  very  rapidly. 
The  results  with  tomatoes  were  also  in  part  similar. 
Sulphate  of  potash  gave  somewhat  better  returns  than  the 
muriate,  and  Nitrate  of  Soda  gave  the  best  yield  of  any  of  the 
sources  of  Nitrogen  ;  but  the  differences  were  far  less  pro- 
nounced than  in  the  cases  of  spinach  and  beets.  Contrary 
to  the  results  in  these  cases,  however,  the  sulphate  of 
ammonia  did  not  appear  to  have  injuriously  affected  the 
crop.  This  is  thought  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  tomato 
is  not  set  until  about  the  first  of  June,  and  makes  most  of 
its  growth  when  the  season  is  well  advanced.  By  this  time 
the  injurious  compounds  formed  by  the  sulphate  of  ammonia 
have  been  washed  away  by  rain  or  destroyed  by  further 
chemical  changes.  The  crops  that  were  injured  by  the 
sulphate  of  ammonia,  spinach  and  beets,  are  sown  early  and 
make  most  of  their  growth  before  the  season  is  far  advanced. 

Lettuce  yielded  better  on  barnyard  manure  alone  than 
on  the  plats  to  which  fertilizers  were  also  applied.  The 
result  is  exactly  in  line  with  the  results  obtained  at  the 
New  York  State  Station,  an  account  of  which  appeared  in 
an  earlier  bulletin  of  this  series,1  where  it  was  found  that 
"after  the  soil  has  received  a  heavy  application  of  stable 
manure,  any  further  addition  of  chemical  fertilizers  is  only 
thrown  away."  Here,  as  before,  sulphate  of  ammonia  was 
found  to  be  highly  injurious,  especially  when  used  with 
muriate  of  potash. 

Cabbage  appeared  to  be  somewhat  benefited  bv  the 
addition  of  fertilizers  to  barnyard  manure.      The  difference 


Food  for  in  tne  effect  0f  tne  different  fertilizers  was  not  very  marked. 
__  Nitrate  of  Soda  appeared  to  be  the  best  source  of  Nitrogen. 

The  plats  from  which  the  beets,  lettuce  and  spinach  had 
been  harvested  were  plowed  and  sowed  to  turnips  without 
further  fertilizing.  In  this  case  the  crop  was  decidedly 
better  on  the  plats  which  had  received  fertilizers  in  addition 
to  manure.  Not  much  difference  was  observed  in  the 
effect  of  the  two  potash  salts,  and  the  plats  which  had 
received  sulphate  of  ammonia  gave  a  much  better  crop  than 
those  which  had  received  the  other  Nitrogenous  fertilizers. 
This  result,  apparently  so  much  at  variance  with  those 
reported  above,  is  thus  accounted  for:  "(i)  The  plats  to 
which  the  sulphate  of  ammonia  had  been  applied  had  pro- 
duced but  very  small  crops  [of  beets,  lettuce  and  spinach] 
while  the  others  had  yielded  heavily;  and  (2)  the  turnips 
made  their  growth  so  late  in  the  season  that  the  injurious 
compounds  often  formed  by  this  salt  had  become  dissipated 
or  destroyed  by  further  chemical  changes." — v.  a.  clark. 


U.   S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


Farmers'   Bulletin  No.  122. 


EXPERIMENT  STATION  WORK,  XVI. 

Washington,   D.  C. 
Page  6. 

In  all  cases  liming  increased  the  total  yield  to  a  marked 
extent,  in  many  instances  to  over  three  times  that  of  the 
unlimed  plats.  The  liming  also  resulted  in  a  decided 
decrease  in  the  proportions  of  weeds  (mainly  sheep  sorrel) 
in  the  hay.  It  is  claimed  that  sorrel  thrives  best  on  an 
acid  soil.  The  application  of  lime,  by  neutralizing  this 
acid,  renders  the  conditions  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of 
this  weed  and  improves  the  soil  for  the  growth  of  the  more 
valuable  grasses.  It  was  also  noted  that  the  yield  of  grass 
was  greater  and  the  proportion  of  weeds  [sorrel)  smaller  on 
the  plats  fertilized  with  Nitrate  of  Soda,  in  addition  to  the 
lime,  than  on  those  fertilized  with  sulphate  of  ammonia  or 
dried  blood.  This  may  be  accounted  for  "chiefly  by  the 
fact    that  the   residual    soda   of  the   Nitrate    of  Soda   had 


IMMMMmmmiimmMBm 


doubtless  gradually  reduced  the  acidity   of  the  soil  to  such   Food   for 
an  extent  as  to  make  it  more  favorable   to  grass,  and,  con-  s 

sequently,  less  favorable  to  common   sorrel  than  where  full       139 
rations  of  dried  blood  or  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  had  been 
applied."     The  decomposition   of  the   latter   substances  in 
the    soil    tend    to    increase   its  acidity    and  thus   favor   the 
growth  of  sorrel. 

Of  the  three  grasses  which  grew  on  the  plats,  orchard 
grass  and  awnless  broome  grass  were  most  benefited  by 
liming,  and  meadow  oat  grass  least.  The  latter  was  bene- 
fited somewhat  by  lime  in  all  except  two  cases,  but  it 
appears  to  be  much  less  dependent  upon  its  presence  than 
are  the  other  two  grasses. 

Timothy  was  not  sown  on  the  plats,  but  appeared  in 
nearly  every  instance  on  the  limed  sections  and  but  twice 
on  the  unlimed  sections,  indicating  the  value  of  neutral  or 
slightly  alkaline  soils  for  this  plant.  Redtop  appeared 
in  but  four  instances,  three  of  which  were  upon  unlimed 
soil.  This  is  in  accord  with  previous  observations  at  the 
Station  to  the  effect  that  redtop  can  succeed  in  a  soil  too 
acid  for  the  successful  growth  of  either  blue  grass  or 
timothy.  Clover  was  found  upon  every  one  of  the  limed 
plats,  but  was  whollv  absent  from  the  unlimed  sections,  and 
the  best  clover  was  found  upon  the  plats  which  had  received 
potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  but  no  Nitrogen. — the  editor 

AND   C.   B.    SMITH. 


EXPERIMENT  STATION  WORK,  XIII. 
Washington,   D.   C. 


Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  107. 

Editor  :   W.    H.    BEAL. 


Prepared  in  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

A.   C.   TRUE,    Director. 


Page  7. 


"  Under  existing  conditions  farmers  are  advised  to  purchase 
fertilizer  materials  and  to  make  their  own  mixtures  rather 
than  to  purchase  mixed  or  complete  special  fertilizers.  This 
course  is    believed  to   be  advisable  for  two  reasons:   First, 


140 


Food   for  because  the  '  specials  '  are  not  properly  compounded,  and  second^ 
ts  because  the  needed  plant  food  can  be    thus  procured  at  lower 
cost."* 

Taking  into  consideration  the  March,  1899,  market 
prices  of  fertilizers,  and  the  results  of  the  above  experiments, 
the  following  mixtures  are  recommended  in  the  bulletin 
above  referred  to.  The  quantities  given  are  designed  for 
one  acre. 

Corn. 

1.  For  corn  on  sod  land  in  fair  condition  : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  ....    1 00 

Dry  ground  fish 200 

Acid  phosphate 250 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 220 

These  materials  furnish  about :  Nitrogen,  30  pounds  ; 
phosphoric  acid,  40  pounds,  and  potash,  1 10  pounds. 

2.  For  corn  on  land  rather  poor  in  organic  matter. 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 200 

Dry  ground  fish 200 

Tankage 1 00 

Acid  phosphate 200 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 250 

These  materials  furnish  about :  Nitrogen,  42  pounds ; 
phosphoric  acid,  50  pounds,  and  potash,  125  pounds. 

3.  For  corn  in  connection  with  farm  manure: 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 50 

Dry  ground  fish 1 00 

Acid  phosphate 1 00 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate)     100 

These  materials  furnish  about :  Nitrogen,  14^  pounds; 
phosphoric  acid,  21  14  pounds,  and  potash,  50  pounds. 

Oats. 

4.  For  oats  on  land  in  good  condition  : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 125 

Acid  phosphate 1 00 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 50 

*  U.  S.  Department  Agricultural,  Farmers'  Bulletin,  65  and  84  (Experiment  Station 
Work,  II,  page  27  ;   VII,  page  5). 


Plants 
141 


These  materials  furnish:   Nitrogen,  20  pounds  ;  phos-    F 
phoric  acid,  14  pounds,  and  potash,  25  pounds. 

5.  For  oats  on  land  in  low  condition  : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda ...  1 75 

Dried  blood IO° 

Acid  phosphate 2°° 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 9° 

These  materials  will  furnish  about:  Nitrogen,  37 
pounds ;  phosphoric  acid,  27  pounds,  and  potash,  45 
pounds. 

Grass. 

6.  For  mixed  grasses  or  timothy  : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda * 50 

Tankage l2S 


Acid  phosphate , 


Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 25 

These  materials  will  furnish  about :  Nitrogen,  32 
pounds;  phosphoric  acid,  15  pounds,  and  potash,  13 
pounds. 

Clover. 

7.      For  mowings  with  considerable  clover: 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda l0° 

Acid  phosphate 3°° 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 160 

These  materials  furnish  about:  Nitrogen,  16  pounds; 
phosphoric  acid,  40  pounds,  and  potash,  80  pounds. 


Rye. 
8.      For  rye  : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 125 

Acid  phosphate l  5° 

Muriate  of  potash  (or  high-grade  sulphate) 125 

These  materials  furnish  :   Nitrogen,   19   pounds;  phos- 
phoric acid,  20  pounds,  and  potash,  63  pounds. 


Food  for  Cabbage. 

Plants  & 

1^  9.      For  cabbages  or  Swedish  turnips : 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  1 50 

Dried  blood 200 

Dry  ground  fish 400 

Bone  meal 200 

Acid  phosphate , 500 

Sulphate  of  potash  (high-grade) 250 

Furnishing  Nitrogen,  70  pounds  ;  phosphoric  acid,  141 
pounds,  and  potash,  125  pounds. 

Soy  Beans. 

10.      For  soy  beans: 

Pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Soda 1 00 

Dry  ground  fish , 150 

Acid  phosphate 300 

Sulphate  of  potash  (high-grade) 200 

Furnishing  Nitrogen,  27  pounds  ;  phosphoric  acid,  52 
pounds,  and  potash,  100  pounds. 

The  continuous  use  of  muriate  of  potash  may  so  far 
deplete  the  soil  of  lime  that  an  occasional  application  of 
this  material  may  be  required  in  case  of  such  use.  The 
sulphate  of  potash  may  be  a  safer  material  to  use  where  a 
growth  of  clover  is  desired  than  the  muriate,  and  therefore 
it  may  often  be  wise  to  use  the  sulphate  in  such  formulas 
as  are  given  above  where  muriate  is  specified.  The  high- 
grade  sulphate  should  be  selected. 

These  materials  should  as  a  rule  be  mixed  just  before 
use,  and  applied  broadcast  (after  plowing)  and  harrowed  in 
just  before  planting  the  seed.  Where  Nitrate  of  Soda  is  to 
be  used  in  quantities  in  excess  of  1 50  pounds  per  acre,  one-half 
the  amount  of  this  salt  may  be  withheld  until  the  crop  is  3  or 
4  inches  high,  when  it  may  be  evenly  scattered  near  the  plants. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  cover  this,  though  it  may  prove  more 
promptly  effective  in  absence  of  rain  if  cultivated  in. 

The  quantities  recommended  are  in  most  cases  moderate. 
On  soils  of  good  physical  character  it  will  often  prove 
profitable  to  use  about  one  and  one-half  times  the  amounts 
given. 

THE  EDITOR. 


SUMMARY  OF  INCREASED  YIELDS  Food  for 

Plants 

From    Application    of    ioo    Pounds    per    Acre    of  — ^ — 
Nitrate  of  Soda. 

It  should  be  pointed  out  that  in  the  recorded 
experiments    with    Nitrate    of   Soda    on    Money       *ise  in  ^rice  of 
Crops  heretofore  published  in  Experiment  Station 
Reports  and  Bulletins,  farm    Products    were   much   lower  in  price. 
The  prices  of  agricultural    Products    have    risen    to   a   high  water 
mark,  and  in  certain  cases,  notably   corn,  the  advance  has  been  to 
extreme  figures,  and   all   Farm    Commodities   are  now   higher  than 
they     have     been     for     some    years.      Our    statements    heretofore 
published,  showing  the  profit  resulting  from  the 
Crop  increases  due  to  the  use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda,      Margin  of  Profit 
if  re-arranged  on  a   basis  of  to-day's   values  for 
Crops,  would  show    more   Profit   than    before.      It  should  also  be 
remarked    that  the   prices  of  other   Ammoniates 
have  risen  higher  than   Nitrate  of  Soda,  and  it  is   Other  Ammoniates 
yet  the  cheapest  of  all  Ammoniates  in  the  market. 

Economists  of  authority  tell  us  that  the  cost  of 
living  is  to  remain  for  a  considerable  time  on  the   Pro0fbFba1remSValues 
high  basis  recently  established,  so  that  it  is  to  be 
expected    that    the    prices    of   Agricultural    Products    will    remain 
at  a  high  level. 

In  this  connection  your  attention  is  called  to 
many     experiments    with    Fertilizers    in     which   Good  R"U^?t£Ue 
Nitrate  of  Soda  is  said  to  have  been  used  in  order 
to  produce  results  to  be  exploited  as  due  to  materials  other  than  this 
Standard  Money  Crop  Producer. 

Further,  one  may  add,  that  when  Nitrate  is 
used    at   the   rate  of    -200   pounds   per  acre,   the  Result— Slight 

,         ,    .  .  "V      r..  r  '  Added  Cost  per 

actual  cash  increase  in  fertilizer  cost  per  acre  is      .  ,         _T 

,,  .    .  .      .  1    .      ,  ,         Acre  and  per  Ton 

very   srrfall,  and  in   mixed  goods  it  cheapens  the  of  Fertilizer 

cost  per  ton  of  the  Fertilizer. 

The    highest    agricultural     authorities     have 
established   by  careful  experimentation  that    100   W£at  N,trat£  Has 
pounds  of  Nitrate  of  Soda   applied  to  the   crops  '  °P  * 

quoted  below  will  produce  increased  yields  as  tabulated  hereunder : 


rain, 
rain. 


WHEAT 300  pounds  of  g 

OATS 400  pounds  of  g 

RYE 300  pounds  of  grain 

BARLEY 400  pounds  of  grain 

POTATOES 3,600  pounds  of  tubers 

HAY 1,000  pounds,  barn-cured 


Food    for 
Plants 


Table  Showing  Prices  of  Nitrate  of  Soda 
on  the  Ammoniate  Basis. 


Figured  on  Basis  380  lbs.  Ammonia  in  One 
Ton  of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Price  per 
Cwt.  of 
Nitrate 

Price  per 
Ton  of 
Nitrate 

Price 
Ammonia 
per  lb.  as 
Nitrate 

Equivalent 

Price 

Ammonia 

per  Ton  unit 

Equivalent 

Cost  of 

Nitrogen 

per  lb. 

$1.80 

$36.00 

$0,095 

$1.89 

$0,115 

1.85 

37.00 

0.09T 

1.95 

0.118 

1.90 

38.00 

0.100 

2.00 

0.122 

1.95 

39.00 

0.103 

2.05 

0.125 

2.00 

40.00 

0.105 

2.10 

0.128 

2,05 

41.00 

0.108 

2.16 

0.131 

2.10 

42.00 

0.111 

2.21 

0.134 

2.15 

43.00 

0.113 

2.26 

0.137 

2.20 

44.00 

0.116 

2.31 

0.140 

2.25 

45.00 

0.118 

2.37 

0.144 

2.30 

46.00 

0.121 

2.42 

0.147 

2.35 

47.00 

0.124 

2.47 

0.150 

2.40 

48.00 

0.126 

2.53 

0.153 

2.45 

49.00 

0.129 

2.58 

0.156 

2.50 

50.00 

0.132 

2.63 

0.159 

2.55 

51.00 

0.134 

2.68 

0.162 

2.60 

52.00 

0.13T 

2.73 

0.165 

2.65 

53.00 

0.140 

2.78 

0.168 

2.70 

54.00 

0.143 

2.83 

0.173 

This  table  enables  one  to  compare  commercial  quotations  on  Ammoniate 
with  accuracy. 


Some  Practical    Hints  Regarding 
Nitrate. 

It  is  the  quickest  acting  plant  food  known. 

It  is  immediately  available  for  the  use  of  plants  as  soon 
as  it  goes  into  solution. 

It  does  all  its  work  in  one  season.  More  must  not  be 
expected  of  it,  as  it  gives  quick  returns  and  large  profits 
when  properly  applied. 

When  applied  broadcast  it  should  be  evenly  distributed. 
In  applying  ioo  pounds  to  an  acre,  one  pound  has  to  be 
evenly  spread  over  48  square  yards,  and  this  requires  care 
and  skill. 

It  is  well  to  mix  it  with  sand,  marl,  ashes,  land  plaster 
or  some  other  finely  divided  material  of  about  the  same 
weight  in  order  to  secure  a  more  even  distribution. 

Where  plants  are  grown  in  hills  or  drills  it  should  be 
applied  near  the  growing  plants  and  thoroughly  mixed  with 
the  soil. 

It  does  not  matter  whether  it  is  sown  in  dry  or  wet 
weather  except  that  when  applied  broadcast  to  crops  like 
cabbage,  which  have  a  large  leaf  surface,  it  should  be  done 
when  the  leaves  are  not  wet  from  rain  or  dew. 

It  does  not  blow  away,  and  dews  are  almost  sufficient 
to  dissolve  it.      It  is  not  necessary  to  wait  for  rain. 

It  should  be  sown  early  in  the  spring  for  cereals,  just 
as  they  are  starting  to  make  their  first  spray  growth ;  for 
roots,  after  they  are  transplanted  or  set  out. 

Autumn  sowing  is  generally  not  advisable  except  as  an 
extra  top  dressing  for  Danish  or  winter  cabbage  just  as  they 
are  starting  to  head,  which  is  practiced  very  profitably  by 
large  cabbage  growers. 

It  enables  the  plant  to  make  use  of  the  necessary 
mineral  elements  in  the  soil  to  the  best  advantage. 

There  are  no  unknown  conditions  that  enter  in,  ir 
reference  to  the  availabilitv  of  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


Food    for 
Plants 


Food  for  jt  should  be  remembered  that   plants  take  up  most  of 

their  Nitrogen  during  the  early  period  of  their  growth. 

146 

//  is  now  known  that  there  is  not  as  much  danger  of  it 
being  leached  out  of  the  soil  by  the  rains  during  the  growing 
season  as  has  been  generally  believed,  since  the  rains  seldom 
reach  lower  than  the  bottom  of  the  furrow,  and  the  movement 
of  the  soil  moisture  is  up  instead  of  down. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  looks  somewhat  like  common  dairy 
salt,  and  horses,  cows  and  sheep,  if  they  can  get  to  it,  may 
eat  it  to  a  very  injurious  extent. 

The  emptied  bags,  especially  in  damp  weather,  have  more 
or  less  Nitrate  adhering  to  them.  After  emptying,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  soak  in  water,  which  will  make  an  excellent 
liquid  manure,  say  one  empty  bag  to  a  barrel  of  water. 

If  lumpy,  the  Nitrate  should  be  broken  up  fine,  which  is 
easily  done  by  pounding  it  on  the  barn  floor  with  the  back  of  a 
spade. 

If  the  Nitrate  is  to  be  mixed  with  superphosphate  or 
other  fertilizers,  put  the  desired  quantity  of  each  in  a  heap 
on  the  floor  and   turn  it  over  until  it  is  uniformly  mixed. 

Nitrate  of  Soda,  unlike  sulphate  of  ammonia,  dried  blood 
and  other  complete  mixed  fertilizers,  can  be  mixed  with  lime  or 
ashes  without  loss  of  Nitrogen.  Basic  slag  and  potash  salts 
may  also  be  mixed  with  Nitrate  of  Soda. 


COMMUNICATIONS  received  from  farmers  and 
prospective  consumers  interested  in  the  use  of 
Nitrate  of  Soda,  who  are  unable  to  secure  it 
in  their  immediate  vicinity,  will  be  referred  to  reliable 
dealers  who  will  furnish  them  with  this  special  fertilizer. 
Formulas  and  valuable  information  sent  free. 

Below  will  be  found  a  list  of  Pamphlets  relating  to  the 
use  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  as  a  Fertilizer,  which  will  be 
furnished  gratis  to  persons  desiring  information  concerning 
the  subjects  named. 


How  Money  Crops  Feed. 

Fertilization  of  Orange  Trees. 

Field  Experiments  on  Market  Garden  Crops. 

Food  for  Plants. 

Nitrate  for  Money  Crops. 

Sugar  Beets  for  Profit. 

Olive  Culture. 

A  Review  of  the  Present  Knowledge  of  Sodium 

Nitrate,  together  with  the  Origin,  Production  and 

Destruction  of  Nitrates  in  the  Soil. 
Market  Gardening  with  Nitrate. 
The  Cultivation  of  the  Sugar  Cane, 
Coffee  Planting. 


WILLIAM  S.  MYERS,  F.  C.  S.,  Director 

Chilean  Nitrate  Propaganda 

12-16  John  Street,  New  York 


YC  20964 


